


1,095 Days of Temptation

by TheBehemoth



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Romance, Room of Spirit and Time, Three years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-05-19 07:55:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5959573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBehemoth/pseuds/TheBehemoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Golden Freeza's defeat and a year spent training with gods, Goku and Vegeta begin preparations for the tournament that will determine the fate of Earth. Five days before the event, a strange moment on a Capsule Corp couch forces Vegeta to rethink his relationship with his rival. Spending the next three years together in the Room of Spirit and Time may make that hard for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing this story mostly for the opportunity to write a kakavege fic that isn't novel length. And for fun. We'll see how long this'll end up being. This story picks up right at the end of Episode 30 of Dragon Ball Super. Major props to Ash (BringingYaoiBack) for looking over this for me. She also thought of the title.
> 
> Not everything will line up perfectly with the show. 
> 
> It's rated T for now. But if you're familiar with my stories then you know how often I like to keep Goku and Vegeta's clothes on. You've been warned. Enjoy!

_Is Kakarot coming onto me?_

One year. One year with Kakarot on Beerus's planet was all it took for such an unfathomable thought to become credible in Vegeta's mind. He sat on his wife's workroom couch next to a man who, for all intents and purposes, had his arm wrapped around him.

Grade school girls had a better grasp on the art of flirting than Vegeta did. But Kakarot sat slightly turned toward him, trademark Son grin plastered over his stupid face, his big stupid knee _almost_ brushing against his own, and his long arm draped around Vegeta's shoulders. Well, almost draped. Technically Kakarot wasn't touching him. But Vegeta was willing to bet Dende's hypothetical left nut that the hesitant drumming of his rival's fingers on the back of the couch was out of anxiety rather than boredom.

Vegeta had seen Kakarot when he was bored. All of his cheeky grinning, laughing, and sidelong glances throughout the past few days had nothing to do with waning interest.

The asshole was flirting. _Maybe_.

Bulma noticed it too. Her husband was sitting beside a man he'd spent the past year with instead of her, after all. Earlier she'd made a big show over Jaco being tardy meeting her so they could collect the Super Dragon Balls. But now she'd fallen into an uncharacteristic quiet. In her corner of the room she sipped on a cup of coffee and occasionally glanced at him and Kakarot.

Piccolo also knew something wasn't right. For the past five minutes straight he'd tumbled the new Dragon Ball radar between his hands like he actually gave a shit about the thing past a cursory glance. The glistening sheen of sweat on his forehead betrayed any sense of serenity he may have left. "So this is the Super Dragon Ball Radar?" he asked to no one in particular.

Bulma would have been best suited to answer his query. In fact, it worried Vegeta that his wife _hadn't_ launched into a long explanation of how the device worked. The woman took pride in everything she made. So why did she just peck her nails against her desk and sigh in agitation? Was Jaco's absence that much of a nuisance?

Kakarot laughed again—a breathy chuckle that sent a shock of adrenaline through Vegeta's veins. "Hey, Vegeta."

He clenched his eyes shut. He hated this. He hated how they'd grown to know each other so well that they could predict what the other was about to say. Kakarot was happy about something. Vegeta didn't want to assume it had anything to do with him. "Don't tell me. You're going to train in the Room of Spirit and Time?"

He laughed. _Again_. What was so damn funny all of the time, especially around Vegeta? "Yup! I heard Dende's fixing it."

Piccolo grunted, happy he had an opportunity to pierce the silence with a useful comment. "It won't be ready until tomorrow."

Kakarot leaned closer toward Vegeta. This time, his hand _did_ brush against the back of his shoulder. "You wanna come with us, Piccolo?"

 _Say no, Piccolo. Oh my god, please say no._ Vegeta didn't want to question why his gut reaction to Kakarot inviting the Namekian along to train with them filled him with absolute dread. He also didn't want to question why he was perfectly fine with Kakarot assuming he'd tag along as well.

"No. I can't keep up with you two Saiyans." Piccolo smirked, eyes still glued to the radar. "I'd get more training done my own way."

Vegeta hoped the loud dispelling of air from his lungs wouldn't become a group discussion seconds later. Instead, Kakarot leaned even _closer_ to him and asked, "Then Vegeta, will you come?"

The words fell from his mouth before his mind could process them. "I don't want to go with you." _No. No. Absolutely not._ He had to say no at first. It was always like this between them: Kakarot would try to convince him to do something, he would say no, Kakarot would give a dumb reason why his idea was great, and then, Vegeta always acquiesced.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that." Kakarot held up three fingers. "With three days we'll be able to get three years of training done."

Three years. The weight of those words forced his wife to glance at him from across the room again. _Shit._

"You don't want me to get stronger than you. _Riiight_?" Kakarot moved so close to Vegeta's face he could feel the warm breath brush against his cheek.

Vegeta kept his eyes closed and focused on willing away the anxiety building inside of his chest. "You just had to go there, didn't you?"

Why did this man have to be so close to him? His breath was tickling Vegeta's ear; the sensation ignited a coil of pleasure in his stomach that welled and shot up his spine to warm the tips of his ears. Finally, he opened his eyes and was met with Kakarot's lips only inches away from his face. "We're already near the limits of our strength," Vegeta said. "There won't be much benefit to training more."

"What are you talking about?" And thus came Kakarot's spiel. About how they needed to be stronger than the mysterious Monaka who would later join their team in the tournament to save planet Earth. It was all a load of bullshit—but did Kakarot know that? Did he know what he was doing to Vegeta, gently rubbing his shoulder as he excitedly went on about the importance of growing stronger even though they'd only gain a fraction of the power they'd attained in the past year?

It was all an excuse to goad Vegeta. But for what purpose? Why did Kakarot want him around so badly? The third class's next words struck a chord with him. "If you don't want to come with me, that's okay. I'll just train for three years and get stronger on my own."

 _You crafty fuck_. The bastard had set up the perfect scenario for Vegeta, and right in front of his wife. Bulma knew that Vegeta couldn't give up the opportunity to keep up with Kakarot in strength.

Not that this conversation had anything to do with getting stronger. Vegeta sighed. "Three years, huh? I guess there's no other choice. I'll go with you."

Kakarot leapt from the couch and screamed in victory. "Alright!"

Piccolo's smarmy comment about Vegeta predictably wanting to keep up with Kakarot was drowned away by the groan Bulma shot in Vegeta's direction.

In typical Kakarot fashion, the idiot smiled down at him as if he hadn't just played Vegeta like a violin. "We'll be able to spar, too, while we're in there!"

"Hmph." _No shit, Kakarot. That's the whole reason we're going to spend three years with each other. So we have the benefit of having a sparring partner. Supposedly._

"I'm going to ring up my sister again." Bulma rose from her chair with her cell phone in hand. "Come speak with me in a few minutes, Vegeta."

 _What?_ He didn't like the sound of that. "Fine."

Piccolo's long ears twitched at the silence swelling once more inside of the room. "Good luck you two. I'll see you once you get out." He too left the room as quickly as Bulma had.

"Vegeta, I'm so excited!" Kakarot fell backwards onto the couch, arm once more draped behind Vegeta's shoulders. "Can you imagine what we'll accomplish in three years?"

"I can."

Kakarot's eyes darted around the room. A much more hesitant grin spread across his face as he grabbed Vegeta's knee. "I'm excited to be alone with you too."

The offensive appendage made Vegeta's skin tingle. He was definitely blushing at this point. _Ohmygod is he squeezing my knee now? What the fuck am I supposed to do in response to that?_ Vegeta didn't even have unbridled rage to fall back on that'd give him the strength necessary to slap the idiot's warm hand off of his body. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was parched. "What's there to be excited about?"

"'Cause we don't have to worry about Beerus or Whis watching over us!" Kakarot wiggled his eyebrows. "We can train however we want."

 _I am going to die right this second._ "Oh? Do you have something special planned for our spars?" _Shit, I hope that didn't sound like I wanted to fuck him._

Kakarot chuckled. "Yeah. Sleeping in past six sounds good. Right?"

Vegeta's shoulders slumped. The innocuous statement calmed his nerves, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. "We haven't even started and you're already thinking of slacking off."

"Sleep is important too, you know!" Kakarot gave his knee another squeeze. "The beds in the time chamber are comfier than the ones over at Beerus's place."

 _Nope. Nu-uh. I'm not going there_. Vegeta cleared his throat and stood, Kakarot's possibly-flirty-but-maybe-not hand flopping down onto the couch. "I'm going to speak with Bulma. You should head home and prepare yourself for tomorrow."

"Oh."

Vegeta looked down at him. The pout on his rival's face made him look so young. "What? Not excited to go spend time with your wife and kid?"

He didn't want it to be true. It was just a joke. His stomach dropped once Kakarot lifted his arm and his hand scratched the back of his head. "Chi-Chi hasn't been happy with me lately."

"Then talk to her."

"That usually doesn't work out so well for me." Kakarot laughed, all nervous this time. "She's going to be pissed I lied to her about the tournament being a picnic."

It wasn't Vegeta's responsibility to pick up his rival from being down in the dumps, but over the past year he'd somehow become adept at consoling him. "Alright. Pretend I'm her."

" _What_?"

"Pretend I'm Chi-Chi." Vegeta planted his hands on his hips. The stance was accurate enough to the real woman's usual posture. Too bad he didn't have a large stick in one hand to intimidate Kakarot with.

"Oookay. Um." Goku stood up before Vegeta. He was close again. Too close. "Chi-Chi, I gotta tell you something. In five days there's going to be this tournament and I gotta do it because—"

"No."

Goku whined. "Aw, c'mon Chi-Chi!"

Kakarot's ease sliding into the roleplay made Vegeta chuckle. "You always say fighting is important. What's so different about this time?"

"Everyone is going this time! And, uh—" Kakarot stepped closer, pressing his chest against Vegeta's. "We'll get to see each other every day. It'll be like we never left home at all."

Vegeta studied Kakarot's Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed away his worry. "That sounds fine to me."

"Really? Awesome!" Kakarot laughed. The warm eyes staring straight through Vegeta pinned him in place.

"Do you normally stand this close to your wife when you're arguing?"

"Yeah. When I'm about to kiss her."

Vegeta stepped backwards. "You should head home now."

For the briefest second Kakarot's face twisted in confusion; his eyebrows knitted together and his pout returned. "Oh. Right. Thanks, Vegeta." He twiddled his thumbs together. "What are you doing for dinner?"

Vegeta raised a brow. "I'm going to eat here."

"Okay."

"Are you asking—never mind." Vegeta crossed his arms and tilted his head toward the exit so Kakarot could leave first. "See you tomorrow."

"No—um, I already told Chi-Chi I would be out late with you 'cause I wanted to avoid an argument."

"We solved that problem. You're just going to tell her the truth about the tournament."

Obviously flustered, Goku scratched the back of his head again and bit his bottom lip. "I know."

Why was Vegeta always expected to fill in the blanks for him? Was Kakarot asking him out to dinner? They'd had an innumerable amount of shared dinners over the past year. Why another one? "Fine. If you like my presence so much, then let's have dinner tonight."

Instantly Kakarot's face brightened again. "Thanks, Vegeta!"

"Swing by here later tonight." Vegeta walked out of the room without another word. A happy, nervous chattering was all he heard before Kakarot's ki vanished from the vicinity.

Of course Kakarot wasn't coming onto him. And their dinner plans together definitely didn't qualify as a date.

Hopefully his wife felt the same. The little chat he was about to have with her couldn't mean anything good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to BringingYaoiBack for beta reading this for me!

"I need to talk to you about something."

Vegeta and Bulma stood on a balcony overlooking the west side of the Capsule Corp property. The cardinal direction was significant: many of their "chats" took place during the afternoon when the sun hung in the perfect position to blind Vegeta while Bulma railed him about something he did wrong.

Bulma also enjoyed _getting_ railed on the balcony. Which Vegeta generally found to be as exciting as it was irritating. No man should have to use both hands to count the number of times he got sunburned while having sex.

He shielded his eyes from the rays seeking to fizzle away his retinas. "What's the matter?"

"I want to have a baby."

 _Shit_. This was not the direction he imagined this conversation going in. "Why?"

"Why?" Bulma clicked her tongue and raised her hands in the air, as if the answer were obvious to their invisible audience. "What the hell kind of question is that? I want one because I _like_ kids!"

"We already have one."

"Did you know," she said, laughing under her breath, "that there are people in the world that have two children? Some even have three or four."

The idea of four violet-haired babies running around forced Vegeta to take a few steps away from his wife. "I'm not having four kids."

Bulma huffed. "Listen. I've been thinking about this a long time and I decided now is the best time to tell you my plan."

Vegeta always admired Bulma's steadfast approach toward accomplishing her goals. Except when it came to sex. Knowing her, she'd spent the past few months determining the perfect conditions in order to get pregnant. Had she even nailed down the perfect time of day to corner him on this balcony? A quick glance at her chest confirmed his worst suspicions: during the few minutes they'd been away from each other the buttons on her jumpsuit had magically come undone. The pink lace of a bra peeked out from her top.

Why did she always have to play dirty? How was he expected to make a rational decision about having another child when she looked that way? And then there was the issue of Kakarot's strange behavior earlier—which of course had nothing to do with Vegeta having another child. Except maybe it did, since he was thinking about how his rival would react to such news.

 _This is bad._ If only Vegeta had a few minutes alone to think—

"Are you interested in trying now?" Bulma leaned against the balcony railing, a playful curl to her lips. He wasn't sure how she did it, but another button on her top came undone right before his eyes.

He looked away. "Trying what now?"

"Getting pregnant."

He pointed at the ground. "Right here? This instant?"

"Yes."

 _Goddammit._ "Fine."

Despite his qualms, seconds later he was hard and balls deep inside of his wife while they both leaned over the balcony and hung on for dear life.

Sex between them had become strange in the past year. Not that he didn't find fucking while standing up hot. But Bulma had become much more frantic to get his pants off lately, as if his dick would fall off if she didn't make good use of it often enough. A strange desperation had taken over her and Vegeta wasn't sure if he should be worried about it.

"Fuck," he grunted, increasing the speed of his pounding. He detested having his pants around his ankles. What if he needed to make a clean getaway in the middle of sex? Waddling around like a duck wasn't becoming of a Saiyan prince. A nightmarish scenario came to him where Kakarot appeared on the balcony after having forgotten something at Capsule Corp. And he'd see Vegeta banging the shit out of his wife literally minutes after their conversation and…

And then what? Kakarot would be sad? Why was that Vegeta's first assumption?

He titled his hips and thrust into Bulma's sweet spot, eliciting a mixture of giggles and moans from below. She'd be disappointed if he came a measly few minutes after going at it, but he didn't believe in premature ejaculation. Whether he came in five seconds or five minutes made no difference to him. So today, Bulma would have to be content with a quickie.

A divine wave of pleasure and fear forced a moan out of his mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so anxious of an impending orgasm in his life. She was so warm and pliant against him, but a horrible screaming in the back of his mind told him to run away.

 _Shitshitshit_. He pulled out, shoved Bulma to the ground, and relieved himself over the balcony.

"Vegeta, what the fuck!" Bulma wrapped her thin arms around her breasts. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

He clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to face the reality that he was dropping his life essence two stories above the ground. "You didn't give me time to think about it!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"The baby!" The afterglow of his orgasm mingled with his embarrassment. Immediately he pulled his pants back up around his waist. "You can't just walk up to me with your tits out like that and expect me to make life-changing decisions at the drop of a hat!"

Bulma pulled her jumpsuit back up past her waist. "You're a real bastard!" She leaned over the balcony, her top still exposed. "Oh my God, Vegeta. What if there were _people_ down there?"

"You're the one who likes doing it outside so much!"

"Just—ugh. Just _go_." Bulma struggled to slide her arms back through the sleeves of her suit. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you being silly right now. Maybe after dinner we can talk again."

Blushing, Vegeta checked his armor to make sure he wasn't exposed anywhere embarrassing. "I'm having dinner with Kakarot."

She froze. "Alone?"

He wasn't sure what the best answer was. "Yes?"

"Oh." She raised her brow. "That's…weird."

"He's the one who asked me." As if that fact made it less odd.

"Huh." Bulma buttoned up her top. "Alright. I'll see you later, then."

"Right."

* * *

It wasn't supposed to be a date. But Vegeta changed into casual clothing and even inspected himself in the mirror. The harmless act spiraled him into an anxiety attack where he questioned his motives for wanting to look pretty for the third class, a hell he escaped only after convincing himself Kakarot merely wanted to avoid the wrath of his wife. Vegeta was doing him a favor by spending extra time with him. Their rendezvous was in no way romantic. In fact, Kakarot probably didn't think about Vegeta's feelings at all in the matter.

He sat on top of the Capsule Corp roof for hours waiting for the sun to set, only realizing after the sky darkened how betrayed he'd feel if Kakarot never showed up at all.

 _When is this asshole going to show up?_ He tapped his foot against the roof. Below him somewhere his wife and child were having dinner and he felt like an absolute ass.

"Oy, Vegeta!" The familiar voice came from behind him.

Vegeta looked over his shoulder. Kakarot waved at him, grin splitting his face. Relief washed over him. "You're late."

"I am?" Kakarot chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't know we agreed on a time."

"We didn't. But you made me wait for you, which pisses me off."

Even though Kakarot had nothing to apologize for, he pressed his hands together and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Vegeta! I would have come sooner if I knew you missed me."

Vegeta huffed. "I didn't _miss_ you. I just wanted to eat sooner." He stood and as quickly as possible sized Kakarot up. He'd changed out of his gi into casual clothes as well. "Did you go back home? I thought you were avoiding your wife."

Kakarot laughed again. A disgusting fluttering in Vegeta's stomach startled him; he wondered why the innocent laughter of the idiot had such a strong effect on him. The playful tilt of his spiky head wasn't helping matters either. "I sneaked into my bedroom to switch into some clean clothes."

Heat rose to Vegeta's face. He didn't see a need to question Kakarot any further. "Whatever. There's a place nearby we can go. Follow me."

As Vegeta crouched down and prepared to fly off into the sky, Kakarot grabbed onto his wrist. "Wait!"

 _How many times has he touched me today?_ Vegeta cursed under his breath. "What's the matter?"

"I thought—um, well, I already decided where we're going. If you don't mind."

Vegeta stared down at the large hand still hanging onto his wrist. "Okay."

Kakarot smiled. Slowly, he released each of his fingers until Vegeta's hand fell back at his side. "Great. Follow me!"

They both flew side-by-side across the city, Vegeta making sure to avoid all eye contact with his partner. Kakarot whistled and hummed during their whole journey, his boyish cheer amusing Vegeta as he fell into his own comfortable silence. Without warning, Kakarot dropped from the sky and landed on a busy street corner. Vegeta followed in suit. The people milling about were too busy with their lives to notice them landing on the sidewalk.

Vegeta followed Kakarot into a noodle house crowded with noisy people. A waiter led them to a tiny booth near the back of the restaurant. Quickly he plopped two glasses of water onto the table and promised to return soon for their order. Vegeta slid down into his seat, but Kakarot lingered beside the table with a strained look on his face.

"What's your problem? I've already wasted enough time waiting on you. Sit down."

"Um…okay." Kakarot slid down into the seat opposite of Vegeta.

The booth was cramped. _Really_ cramped. So cramped that Vegeta had to carefully align his legs so they didn't touch Kakarot's beneath the table. He tried his best to relax into the hard wood digging into his back. "Why did you want to come here?"

"Gohan took me here once and I liked it." Kakarot flicked his hand against his glass, knocking it over. Ice skidded across the table and water dribbled into his seat. "Oops!"

"You fucking klutz." Vegeta leaned toward the napkin tray.

Kakarot chirped. "Don't worry about it! I'll just sit next to you!" He slid out from his seat and shoved himself beside Vegeta.

Vegeta opened his mouth. Surely any second now the right words to make Kakarot clean up his mess and get the fuck away from him would leap from his tongue.

"Is this okay with you?" Kakarot asked. He was laughing again, all nervous and blushing.

 _Does he mean sitting next to me? Or the fact we're on a date?_ Vegeta wasn't sure if he was okay with any of it. Especially with the way Kakarot was sidling closer to him so that their thighs were flush against each other. He knew his rival would go running back to the other side of the table if he so much as gave him the wrong look.

 _So what's my decision_? "It's fine, Kakarot. Don't worry about it."

His rival exhaled. "Good."

When the waiter came back they both ordered udon. They didn't talk much before the food came, nor much after the piping bowls of soup were dropped onto their table.

Vegeta figured it had something to do with Kakarot's invasive pinkie finger rubbing against his own in the millimeter of space between them.

He couldn't focus on the taste of the food at all. Kakarot awkwardly picked up his noodles with his left hand and slurped them down his gullet. The fingers on his right hand continued to test how far they could travel across Vegeta's shaking knuckles. Terror kept Vegeta frozen to the spot. He prayed he didn't run out of food before his rival was done caressing him.

After what felt like an eternity, Kakarot finally laced their fingers together. Vegeta clenched his hand tighter with his rival, unsure of what any of this meant or how he was supposed to react or—

The waiter appeared at the table again. "Here's your check. You can pay at the front. Thank you!" He skittered off to another table full of screaming people.

"Oh!" Kakarot picked up the bill with the hand _not_ lovingly stroking Vegeta's palm. "I'll pay for it!"

Vegeta wasn't the type to reject a free meal. "Alright."

With his bowl empty, Kakarot lost his only excuse to avoid looking at Vegeta. He coughed. "How do you feel about this place?"

Luckily for Vegeta he'd left a few strategically placed noodles in his bowl to occupy his attention for such a scenario. He shoved it through the broth with his chopsticks. "The service is terrible."

"Yeah. It's always busy here."

"But the food is good. Thank you." He held his breath and squeezed Kakarot's hand harder.

"I'm glad you liked it." Out of the corner of his eye Vegeta watched him bite his lip. "Want to go walk it off in the park nearby?"

"Sure." Figuring their hand-holding time was up, he slipped his hand away.

A strange yelp came from the man beside him. "Alright. I'll go pay and then we can leave."

Once they returned to the outside world, Vegeta absolutely could not look Kakarot in the eye. The farther they walked down the crowded sidewalk toward the park across the street, the more disoriented he became. They had held hands. Like a couple. Had Kakarot intended it to be romantic? Surely he did. He wasn't bright at all, but was he so stupid to think you only held hands with someone you're only friends with?

The quiet of the park helped soothe his nerves. Kakarot was still silent beside him. But at least they weren't touching each other.

"Do you want to sit over there?" Kakarot asked. They were the first words he'd spoken since leaving the restaurant. He pointed to a small bench beneath the shade of a tree.

It was definitely an intimate spot out of the way of any onlookers walking around them. Vegeta wondered if he was being trapped. "I thought you wanted to walk."

Kakarot frowned. "Oh. We can do that instead if you want. I just wanted to relax a little."

That made sense. That's what benches were made for. Relaxing on. "Whatever. I'll sit with you."

Vegeta hated that he felt like a teenage girl getting preyed on by a suitor, but the lopsided-grin on Kakarot's face wasn't helping him feel otherwise. They sat down on the bench and Vegeta stared straight ahead at all the other people in the park who weren't currently clutching their chest in anticipation of a heart attack.

 _Why isn't he saying anything at all?_ Vegeta tried his best to regain his normal aloof attitude toward the fool. He crossed his arms. "What time do you want to meet up tomorrow morning?"

"I don't know. Seven or eight sounds fine." The finality in Kakarot's voice told Vegeta this line of conversation was going nowhere.

"Are you happy you had dinner with me instead of your wife?" Vegeta mentally slapped himself. The words came out sounding all wrong.

"Definitely." Kakarot stretched his arm around him, this time lightly grabbing onto Vegeta's shoulder and massaging the muscle there. "Do you feel the same way as me?"

 _Oh fuck_. The husky tone Kakarot used to ask his question sent Vegeta's mind into a whirlwind. The way he was looking at him and touching him was _not_ platonic at all. How was he supposed to respond? "Either way would have been fine with me."

Wrong answer. Kakarot pursed his lips. "Oh."

"Don't be like that. I'm not saying I dislike spending time with you." Vegeta blew out a puff of air. He wished the chill of the park would cool him down more. "You're not as annoying to be around as I used to think."

"I would hope so after we lived together with Beerus and Whis for so long." Kakarot licked his lips. "Do you think I'll annoy you for the next three years?"

"That would be impossible."

"Heh." Kakarot pulled Vegeta even closer to him. "How late should we stay out tonight?"

Vegeta grimaced. "What do you mean? You want to do something else?"

"If you want to, then sure."

Vegeta wiped his forehead. "I should head back home soon. We have to wake up early."

Kakarot nodded, then looked away without another word. Vegeta didn't know if the gesture signaled the end of…whatever it was they were doing. The sense he was missing an important opportunity made Vegeta's chest tighten and his stomach churn. With utmost caution he leaned his head against the broad chest next to him.

A soft murmur came from Kakarot's mouth. He purred and rested his head against Vegeta's. Lips slightly parted, Vegeta counted the number of times his heart skipped a beat and wondered if he was dying.

This was wrong. He wasn't sure he even wanted this. They'd never been this close before, Kakarot's gentle breath against his forehead, and Vegeta cuddled beside him like a lover. If Bulma had seen him like this she'd lose her shit. Which was a good enough reason to end the physical contact.

But he couldn't pull himself away. Kakarot had awaken some long lost sense of tenderness within him.

Kakarot shuddered. Suddenly he leapt from the bench, sending Vegeta falling to his side on the wooden seat. "Ah, Vegeta. I gotta go!"

Vegeta pulled himself upright again and rubbed his sore hip. "What? Why?"

Kakarot turned his back on him. "Something…just came up. Uh, I gotta see Chi-Chi right now."

Vegeta's stomach dropped. "Okay?"

"I'll see you tomorrow. Meet me at the Lookout." Goku quickly peeked over his shoulder. "See ya!" He pressed his hands to his forehead and disappeared.

Vegeta rubbed his thumb against his temple to quell the pressure building there. Had the whole night just been a flight of fancy and the dolt suddenly realized how pissed his wife would be for coming home late? He groaned. "Moron."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait for the next episode of Super to come out before I updated again. But I figured the new episode won't be anywhere near as gay as this chapter is, so here we are! If I'm wrong and it's full of slashy goodness then at this point it'll only be a blessing for me.
> 
> Once again, thank you BringingYaoiBack for brainstorming with me as well as reading the final product.

The following morning Vegeta woke up to a drool-soaked pillow and sticky boxer shorts. The shower he took after his discovery couldn't cleanse his mind of the filthy dream still fresh in his memory. He had a huge problem and he was about to spend three years with him.

After packing his duffel bag and a quick breakfast, he met Bulma outside on the Capsule Corp lawn. To his relief, Bulma's impending adventure distracted her from asking about his date night at all. Jaco had finally arrived in his ship and was ready to whisk his wife away to the far reaches of the universe to investigate the state of the Super Dragon Balls. As the cool morning air nipped at his ears and thoughts of Kakarot rattled his nerves, all the issues surrounding Earth's fate seemed insignificant. _Is Kakarot saying goodbye to his wife at the same time as me?_

Bulma clutched the new radar in her hands. Behind her, Jaco fiddled around with the dashboard on his ship. She grinned. "I'll see you in three days, Vegeta."

He nodded. She kissed his mouth, then the bridge of his nose. "Don't kill Goku in there. Okay?" she whispered.

"I won't." He _wished_ his dream last night had been about murdering Kakarot.

Her smile turned leery. "Why were you moaning so much in your sleep last night?"

Vegeta touched his face as if his dirty thoughts had become manifest and oozed through the surface of his skin. "What do you mean?!"

"I tried to wake you up but it was impossible." She winked. "Don't worry. In three days I'll take care of you. Maybe by then you'll feel differently about you-know-what." She clicked her tongue and pointed at her belly.

Thank God for Bulma's vanity. He followed her to the ship and watched her hop into the seat beside Jaco. Beads of sweat dripped down the alien's face as his rabid turning and twisting of knobs intensified.

Vegeta tapped the side of the spacecraft. "Hey. You."

Jaco nearly jumped out of his skin. "Yes?"

"Don't let her bully you too much."

Jaco's eyes widened. Bulma flipped Vegeta off. The transparent dome above the ship lowered and seconds later the two rocketed off into the atmosphere.

A weight lifted from his shoulders. In three years' time whatever feelings he had about Kakarot would at least be resolved. _Hopefully_.

Whatever peace he hoped to find during his flight to the Lookout was in vain. He still had no idea what to think of Kakarot's intentions when they held hands or cuddled on the park bench. Was the third class hoping to court him? They were both married, so any sort of romantic relationship between them was out of the question.

Not that them being married was the only thing stopping Vegeta from taking Kakarot's advances into serious consideration. He wasn't attracted to his rival. At all. Even if he had dreamed of those muscular arms and thighs wrapping around him as he screwed the living daylights out of the idiot. If anything the dream was just an uncomfortable sign of how badly he wanted to overcome Kakarot in strength.

 _Yes! It makes perfect sense now_. Vegeta smirked. He was thankful he no longer had a reason to dwell on the implications of enjoying the thought of Kakarot naked.

Due to the idiot's own carelessness on Beerus's planet, Vegeta had caught his roommate in the buff a few times. If it happened again during the next three years together, Vegeta wouldn't mind it much. Kakarot looked fantastic without any clothes on.

 _Because he's a warrior. And warriors have spectacular bodies._ Vegeta scrambled away from the gay rabbit hole his train of thought was leading him down. _There's nothing wrong with admiring another man's body._ For as long as he could remember he'd silently extolled Kakarot's strength. He was content they were nearly equal in power at this point and that his own body had transformed along with his progress. _I wonder if Kakarot has ever thought about me naked as well?_

Korin's Tower rose over the horizon miles away. The same jittery feeling from last night returned to him, flipping his stomach this way and that. Just the thought of seeing Kakarot again made him feel giddy. _Fuck!_

If he _was_ being courted, what should he do about it? Tell Kakarot to stop hitting on him? Nothing lewd had happened last night, so in Kakarot's child-like mind maybe he just saw physical contact as a way to be friendlier with Vegeta. And Vegeta had reciprocated, which in hindsight may have been a mistake. He wasn't sure why he did it. Part of it was to make the idiot happy. But he'd rarely done anything in his life to make other people happy—why would he change now?

 _I'll pretend last night didn't happen._ It was a brilliant plan that had no downside. If Kakarot was still acting touchy-feely, Vegeta would just tell him to stop. If he talked about last night, Vegeta would brush it off. He couldn't spend the next three years losing his shit over every strange thing Kakarot did. It was imperative for him to focus on the task at hand and train.

If he was lucky, Kakarot would be dense enough to act as if nothing had changed between them. That would save the both of them from any awkward conversations.

The stark white surface of the Lookout glinted in the morning sun. A flash of orange and black caught Vegeta's eye, and he landed beside the man who'd been running through his mind for the past several hours. Ignoring the desire to stare into Kakarot's eyes, he walked beside him with his arms crossed and grunted in greeting.

Kakarot spun around and smiled at him. "Hey, Vegeta!"

Horrified, Vegeta stepped away from him. Littering Kakarot's neck were dozens of hickies. A horrible bruise also circled his right eye, which was slightly swollen shut. Vegeta would have punched the jerk if he didn't have to deal with explaining himself afterward.

His reaction must have been bad. The cheerful disposition of his partner disappeared. "Is something wrong?"

Vegeta gritted his teeth. "Did you have fun last night, Kakarot?"

Kakarot's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Ahead of them Dende emerged from the main building on the Lookout. Vegeta lowered his voice. "Don't play dumb. If you think you're going to make a fool out of me, you're wrong."

"B-but I didn't—Vegeta!" Goku wrung his hands together. "Um, let's forget everything that happened last night. Okay?"

Still focusing his sights on the Namekian's approaching form, Vegeta glared at Kakarot without turning his head. "What are you talking about?"

"All of the, you know…s _tuff_ that happened. Let's just call the whole thing off. I didn't mean any of it. Please don't be mad at me."

"'Call it off'? We were never _on_!" At this point he didn't give a fuck if Dende heard their spat or not. "And nothing of merit happened last night. But if it had, I wouldn't care in the first place!"

The effect of the words were the same as a hearty punch to the idiot's stupid stomach. Kakarot frowned and slumped his shoulders. "Okay."

 _The nerve of that bastard!_ So Kakarot thought he could put smooth moves on him then show up the next day bragging about the great sex he and his wife had right after their date? Not only that, but he had the balls to tell _him_ all the stupid hand-holding meant nothing?

Dende gasped upon reaching them both. "Goku! What happened to you? Is your eye okay?"

Kakarot touched his black eye. "Oh! Um, yeah. I'm fine."

The guardian saw through the lie but knew better than to pester him about it. "Okay. Are you both ready to go inside? It was difficult but I upgraded the chamber to allow three days for occupants to use it instead of two."

Vegeta pushed past Kakarot and Dende toward the beveled door he was doomed to spend three years behind. "Yes. We're ready."

"Erm—okay. There are more than enough provisions for three years. I also tried to make the food tastier for you guys since I know Goku didn't like it much the last time he was in there."

"Thanks, Dende." The strain in Kakarot's voice satisfied Vegeta's ire.

"Great. See you two in three days." Dende moved to open the door for them, but Vegeta spared him the obligation and yanked it wide open before he could move one step. Dende whispered something unintelligible behind Vegeta's back, likely to Kakarot, but the third class didn't respond to him.

Inside, the Room of Spirit and Time wasn't much different from what he remembered. Humid air clung to his skin and the mild increase in gravity tugged at his limbs. The living room—if it could be called such—was larger than he remembered. The quaint placement of a vase of flowers on the dining table and beside both canopy beds was too domestic for Vegeta's taste. Kakarot followed swiftly behind him and for a second he felt they were a married couple moving into their first home together.

The click of the chamber door closing echoed throughout the cozy space. Kakarot made a noise to initiate conversation; Vegeta took it as an opportunity to walk away. Hobbling on one foot, he kicked one boot off, and then the other.

"Vegeta?"

Ignoring him, Vegeta claimed the bed closest to the door, climbed onto the mattress, and closed the curtain around himself. Kakarot's stupid puppy-dog eyes and pouty mouth were immediately blocked from his view.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Go away." Vegeta unpacked his belongings. He felt stupid removing his clothes, knowing good and well he couldn't put them away in his dresser unless he left the fortress the bed's curtains afforded him. Maybe Kakarot would busy himself in the kitchen at some point and he could sneak out.

"Can I come in there? Please?"

"No!"

Despite his wishes, Kakarot peeked his head through the curtain. "We can't avoid talking to each other the whole time we're here."

"I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here to train. That's all." Vegeta poised his foot in the air to shove Kakarot back through the cloth barrier. "Now leave before I do it for you."

Kakarot sighed and slid half his body through the curtain. Resting his palms against the mattress, he stared deep into Vegeta's eyes. "I'm sorry I touched you. I didn't know it'd make you so angry."

 _What the hell is he going on about?_ Vegeta lowered his leg. The sincerity in Kakarot's voice got to him. "How dare you go parading your love marks around me. Not only do I not care, but it's shameful. If you wanted to fuck your wife so badly last night then you shouldn't have wasted time having dinner with me."

Kakarot blinked. "Love marks? What's that?"

"The stupid bruises all over you from your wife kissing you last night!"

Kakarot's self-conscious hand roamed across his neck. "Oooh, man. This is embarrassing!"

Anger bubbled inside of Vegeta and he erupted into a bark. "Fuck you!"

"You're mad at me because of Chi-Chi?" A light blush appeared across Kakarot's cheeks. "Really?"

"Yes, _really_!" Vegeta threw his hands into the air. "I hate your pomposity!"

Seeing that he'd broken through some barrier, Kakarot crawled through the curtain and made himself comfortable on the bed.

"Don't sit on my sheets with your filthy shoes on!"

Kakarot spoke while pulling off his boots. "Sorry. Is it okay if I explain what happened after I saw you yesterday? You'll like this story because I get hurt in it." He chucked his shoes through the curtain and they landed far away with a loud thud.

 _Is he seriously going to tell me about how he did his wife last night?_ They'd never talked about their sex lives before, let alone sex at all. A riveting, erotic tale spun by Kakarot was too good to pass up. Even if it could possibly send him into a rage. His rival sat cross-legged in front of him while bouncing on his rear in anticipation. The sudden happiness oozing off of him was infectious and Vegeta wondered how Kakarot became so skilled at manipulating people's emotions.

He groaned. "Go ahead. Tell me if you want."

"Okay!" Goku grabbed the nearest pillow. "Is it fine if I'm kinda dirty explaining the details?"

Vegeta ignored the heat building up beneath his armor. "I'm not a child. You don't need to censor yourself around me."

"Alright. After I saw you last night I went home and told Chi-Chi the truth about the tournament in five days. She wasn't happy, but I was really horny. So we had sex and she stopped being mad at me."

Vegeta's mouth fell open. Kakarot naiveté was severe enough that it was within the realm of possibility him being aroused had nothing to do with their date. "Alright. Go on, Kakarot." It was the safest response he could give at this point in their relationship.

Kakarot pulled the pillow into his lap and bounced it up and down on top of his crotch. "So we took all our clothes off and she started riding me while I was sitting on the kitchen table. She was kissing me the whole time too."

The image of Kakarot getting his dick ridden made Vegeta gasp. He bit his lip. "Oh?"

"Yeah. But we didn't stay there for long because I like to move around during sex. So then I put her on the floor and we started doing it there." To illustrate his point, Kakarot fell onto his stomach on the bed and proceeded to furiously hump the pillow.

 _Oh my God. Why is he showing me how he fucks?_ Vegeta bobbed up and down on the mattress as Kakarot passionately screwed the pillow. The springs beneath them squeaked. "That's…something, Kakarot."

Eyes half-lidded as if he really _were_ in the middle of sex, Kakarot moaned. Vegeta yelped, then composed himself once he realized his rival was still enacting a real event. "So she's telling me how good it feels. And I'm like, 'Yeah baby, it feels good to me too.' But then I accidentally called her the wrong name." Kakarot sighed and pawed at his black eye. "That's when she punched me."

Vegeta fanned himself and hoped the man beside him didn't think it was odd. "Oh? Were you thinking of another woman while banging your wife? I don't blame her for being upset."

Kakarot rose back to his knees and giggled. "Ehehe. I accidentally called her by your name."

Vegeta's shoulders rose to his ears. " _Excuse_ me?"

A furious blush spread from Kakarot's face all the way down his neck. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean it. I tried to tell Chi-Chi that, but she said it happened because I'm obsessed with fighting so much that it seeps into our sex life too."

Shocked, Vegeta stared down into his lap to collect his thoughts. "You were right. I'm glad you got hurt."

"Hehe." Kakarot rose from his shameless position and crossed his legs again. He twiddled his thumbs together. "I wasn't trying to show off or anything. If that's what you were mad about."

"It's fine." Vegeta felt the tips of his ears burning. There's no way he could look Kakarot in the face after seeing him thrust and moan beside him like that. "I'm glad to know you keep your cockiness to the battlefield."

"Does this means you're not upset about last night? I thought that was the reason you were yelling at me earlier."

Now Vegeta was cornered and had to explain himself. "I was never upset about last night."

"Really? That's great!"

Not wanting to miss the excitement on his face, Vegeta looked up again. The fool was still blushing and smiling. "What's so great about it?"

"I like holding hands with you."

Vegeta looked to the side. "It's nothing special."

"It's not? I don't hold hands with anyone else."

 _Am I seriously getting all flustered over something as juvenile as hand-holding? This needs to end now._ "I'm glad you enjoy it. But it's something couples do."

"Couples? Like two people who like each other?"

"Yes. So we shouldn't do it anymore. I don't like you and you don't like me. We're just friends." _There. Problem solved._

Kakarot scratched the back of his head. "Would you, um…be mad at me…if I _did_ like you? More than other people?"

Vegeta squashed the urge to scream. He literally wanted to be anywhere else except a few inches away from a man who may or may not have understood the effect his words had on him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I like you, Vegeta. A lot."

"As a friend."

"Yeah!"

Vegeta wanted to throw up. "I'll just tell you this once, Kakarot. People who are only friends don't hold hands and touch each other like we did last night. It's weird. So let's not do it anymore."

Kakarot looked like someone had popped his favorite balloon. "So you didn't like being with me last night?"

Vegeta wasn't sure how to answer. The truth came to him that very moment: he enjoyed it immensely, but it was wrong to feel that way. "I did like it," he blurted.

"Then what's the problem?"

 _The problem is that we enjoyed it for different reasons._ "Trust me on this, Kakarot. It's a big problem."

"I don't get it. But okay. Does this mean we can't do it again?"

"Hold hands? No. We can't."

"Okay. Can we do it one last time, then?"

Vegeta sighed. _Might as well humor him._ "Fine."

Slowly, Kakarot pulled Vegeta's hands from his lap. He worked his fingers around the prince's until both their hands were mirrored against each other. Kakarot wove their fingers together and sighed. "I still like you, Vegeta. I hope that's okay."

Vegeta smiled hopelessly back at him. All the frustration of the past twenty four hours was finally over. _Then why do I feel so empty?_ "It is."

Kakarot leaned forward and kissed him. The softness of his lips shocked Vegeta at first: they were silky against his own, gently opening and closing in a rhythm that made him dizzy. He groaned in response to the touch. Before he could move his own lips to return the favor his rival pulled away.

Kakarot paused for a long while, a distant yearning in his eyes. "I'm going to go unpack my stuff."

Utterly speechless, Vegeta could only nod.

"I'll talk to you later, okay? Maybe we can spar." Kakarot blinked and his daze disappeared. He smiled innocently at Vegeta. "See ya!" He hopped off of the mattress and disappeared behind the curtain.

Vegeta touched his mouth. "You son of a bitch," he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi-ho, hi-ho, to M rating we go…
> 
> Thanks for all of the reviews! And thank you again Ash for beta reading my pervy fics.

For the life of him Vegeta could not focus on the sparring session he was currently immersed in. Obsessively he revisited the moment Kakarot's soft mouth graced his own; even as the object of his affection pummeled him, he couldn't rouse himself from the dream-like state that crippled his concentration. Possibly worse was that despite his best efforts the bastard was well aware Vegeta was distracted by _something_.

Kakarot dropped from the air to land onto the vast white nothingness of the time chamber floor. Vegeta didn't bother taking advantage of his wide-open stance and lowered ki. He stared down at his rival, still panting, and waited for the inevitable criticism.

"Vegeta," Kakarot said with his hands on his hips, "you're sloppy today."

What could he say? Kakarot had no idea _he_ was the reason they were caught up in this half-assed spar. Instead of beating each other's brains out, Vegeta wanted to have a long chat about why the hell they'd kissed earlier and why Kakarot acted as if it was of no consequence.

He powered down. "I've had enough for today." The words made him legitimately ill. Every single one of their spars in the past ended only after one of them was mangled or battered to the point of exhaustion. It was shameful a kiss from a man had essentially disabled him.

The look of disappointment on Kakarot's face made the twisting in his abdomen worse. "What's wrong, Vegeta?"

"Nothing." He floated down to the ground and began his trek back toward the distant building that was their home.

Instantly Kakarot appeared in front of him. He walked backwards in step with Vegeta. "Are you mad at me?"

 _Why can't this idiot ever think of a different question to ask me?_ "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now leave me alone."

"Does this have something to do with me kissing you earlier?"

Vegeta froze mid-step. If Kakarot was going to talk about what happened earlier without him initiating, he was all ears. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you completely changed afterward." Kakarot poked the tips of his index fingers together. "Did I do a bad job at it?"

"At kissing me? No!"

"They why are you so upset?"

 _Is he playing games with me?_ Vegeta wiped away the sheen of sweat across his forehead. Talking to Kakarot about matters of the heart was damn near impossible since the man didn't seem to grasp the normal boundaries of a friendship. "Friends aren't supposed to kiss each other on the lips, Kakarot." He sidestepped the orange-clad blockade and stomped back toward his original destination.

Again, Kakarot transmitted himself in front of Vegeta. Genuine confusion was on his face. "Where _are_ friends supposed to kiss each other, then?"

Vegeta raised his fists in defense and took one large step backwards. "Are you fucking dense? You're only supposed to kiss your wife on the mouth!"

"Gosh, Vegeta." A mixture of a cough and a laugh tumbled from Kakarot's mouth. "I'd feel weird kissing Chi-Chi like I want to kiss you."

 _What the fuck?_ Vegeta lowered his arms. He tried to ignore the sudden pounding of his heart against his ribcage."Why is that?"

"Umm…it's hard to explain." Kakarot found it difficult to look him in the face again. "I kiss Chi-Chi because it makes her happy. And it feels normal."

"Ugh. Just stop while you're ahead."

Bravery took hold of Kakarot and he stepped close enough to Vegeta so the tips of their boots touched. "Whenever I think about kissing you—um, it makes me feel weird. But it's a good kind of weird. And when I kissed you earlier it was weirder than I ever thought was possible."

Vegeta groaned. "You're the one who kissed me. You have no right to complain about it being 'weird'!" He stepped left and right, but Kakarot quickly moved to block him. "Get out of my way!"

Kakarot shook his head. "You don't get it, Vegeta. It was a _good_ kind of weird."

"There's nothing good about feeling strange around me!"

"Really?" Still too close for comfort, Kakarot placed his hand on Vegeta's shoulder and smiled. "But I feel _good_ when I'm around you. Even when I feel weird at the same time."

Vegeta wasn't sure which was more frustrating: that Kakarot was stupid enough to mix up romantic feelings with camaraderie, or that in the deepest part of his heart he wanted the big dope to have a real crush on him. Maybe the desire came from wanting someone to stroke his ego. It certainly wasn't out of attraction for Kakarot.

Except…it was quite adorable the way the man was looking at him now. His eyes were wide and peering back at him without malice. His face inched closer and closer and Vegeta watched those wonderful eyes flutter shut.

He jumped backwards. "Are you—oh my God, you're trying to do it again, aren't you?!"

Kakarot continued to lean forward with puckered lips. He opened his eyes. "Yeah, I was. You got all quiet and looked at me like you wanted to kiss."

Pressure grew between Vegeta's eyes. "You can't—I—fuck dammit Kakarot, I don't have any sort of 'look'!"

"Ya-huh." Kakarot scratched his chin. "You don't make the expression often. But sometimes you look like you're happy—"

"Shut-up!"

"And you stare at me and you smile or lick your lips. You did it earlier, and you did it just now. So I thought—"

"You're lying!"

"I'm not! Please tell me when it's okay to kiss you, Vegeta."

"There isn't ever going to _be_ a good time to kiss me again!"

"Why not?"

 _Because we're married. Because we're supposed to be rivals. Because I'm not supposed to be attracted to you. And you're definitely not attracted to me._ "Because I don't want to kiss you. I didn't like it."

"Oh…" Vegeta's response wiped away the shy smile from Kakarot's face. "Alright. That's all you had to say."

"If I'm honest with you," Vegeta said, hating the way he lied so easily, "I'd rather we not talk unless necessary."

Kakarot gasped. "Wha—you mean about the kissing?"

Vegeta brushed past the blushing idiot. "Unless we have to I don't want to talk the whole time we're in here."

A strangled cry came from Kakarot's mouth. "Uh—okay?" The strange intonation in his voice made it obvious he wanted to object to Vegeta's wishes. But for whatever reason he didn't see a point in picking a fight.

For the next two weeks Kakarot respected Vegeta's avoidance of any superfluous conversation whatsoever. In their silence Vegeta made himself comfortable in feeling a combination of hopelessness and self-flagellation. The more he thought about Kakarot's affection toward him the deeper his despair became, which he funneled into their sparring sessions. The harder Kakarot hit him the better he felt; he took the pain as retribution for all the brief moments of his day he pined for Kakarot's attention.

As the days went by and the two Saiyans fell into the monotony of sparring, eating, and sleeping, the strange effects of the time chamber's dimension heightened. One morning Vegeta stepped outside of his bed to find that not only had the temperature increased, but during their sleep a vast desert wasteland had sprung up around their home. Running and skidding on sand during their spar was an absolute bitch to deal with.

By the end of their first week the horrible heat had transitioned into rainy days accompanied by giant mud pits that threatened to suck them beneath the ground. Vegeta wondered if it was a coincidence the weather mirrored his mood, but he didn't want to break the silence with his partner to question him about it.

Their living situation was worse than anything they'd experienced on Beerus's planet, where Vegeta had grown to enjoy waking Kakarot up every morning and pestering him about his chores. Nowadays every meal between them was silent. They'd even learned each other's schedules well enough to never cross paths whenever going to the bathroom.

Inside of the Room of Spirit and Time they quickly became worse than enemies. Soon they were only acquaintances.

At least Vegeta wasn't sloppy during their spars anymore. He'd never allow that to happen again.

After they entered their third week of mutual loneliness and clipped words with one another, Kakarot came to him with a somber look on his face. "Let's take a break tomorrow."

It was night, the wind outside of their domicile was howling, and Vegeta was ready to fall asleep. Still fully clothed he sat on the ottoman at the end of his bed. They didn't undress at all in front of each other anymore. "Why? Are you getting tired of me already?"

He hadn't meant to ask that question. The bitterness in his words made Kakarot wince. "Nah. I just think relaxing is equally as important as training."

"Fine," Vegeta said. He climbed into bed, shoes and all. He'd rather get his sheets dirty than stare at his rival's face for even a second longer. "Goodnight."

Kakarot continued to speak even though a curtain now separated them. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Vegeta slid off his armor and threw it in a pile at the end of his bed. "I said _goodnight_ , Kakarot."

"'Nite, Vegeta."

In his sleep a nightmare assaulted him. He dreamed that a year into their training he woke up and discovered Kakarot had fled into the deepest reaches of the time chamber. The granules of sand in the giant hourglasses outside of their room were frozen in time. Dream logic told Vegeta this meant Kakarot had suffered a fate worse than death, and thus would never be seen again. And since Kakarot was gone forever, he wept, assured that not even the man's wife could feel a fraction of the pain Vegeta withstood.

The next morning he awoke to yelling. "Vegeta, come look at this!"

He wiped his face clean of the tears his nightmare had wrung from his body. _I hate you, Kakarot._ It took a concentrated effort to untangle himself from his sheets. He pushed apart the curtains of his bed and was immediately blinded by sunlight.

"We got a forest!" Kakarot stood in his sweatpants at the cusp of their living room. Beyond him laid a lush thicket that went on for miles. Sometime in the night the horrible weather had lifted and was replaced with a cheerful woodland accompanied with chirping birds and the steady buzz of insects in the grass.

Vegeta slid out of bed. He wore only his underwear, but assumed Kakarot was too distracted by the new world around them to pay him much mind. The elation he felt at seeing his friend alive and well again compelled him to speak more than he had in weeks. "What do you think caused this? The last time I was here with Trunks I don't remember there being as much…geography."

"Who cares how it happened? I'm just happy it's not raining anymore!" Kakarot spun around and Vegeta saw he was in the middle of brushing his teeth. Upon locking gazes with Vegeta he sputtered and sprayed the smaller Saiyan with toothpaste.

"Oops!" Kakarot covered his mouth. "I didn't know you were in your panties."

Vegeta shrieked and wiped the moisture away from his chest. "Wha— _panties?_ Quit being disgusting. Spit that crap out of your mouth right now!"

"Okay," Kakarot said, mouth still full with paste. He spat into the grass and sighed. "Yeah, don't you wear panties?"

"They're boxer briefs!"

Kakarot's eyes lingered on his crotch. "Ooh. I didn't know."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to the new wilderness before them. _Leave it to Kakarot to remind me why I always take his presence for granted._

"Do you want to play with me today?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Play with you? Where?"

"Out there. Duh!" Kakarot's cheeky smirk was a sight for sore eyes. "I bet there's a river or something out there begging for two Saiyans to swim in it."

"I don't want to play with you."

Kakarot poked out his lower lip. "I thought we were going to relax today."

 _Yes. Away from each other._ Vegeta looked up into the blue sky. A flock of birds crossed overheard. "Okay. I'll do it. But only because I'm curious to see if there's something horrible out there past the cute exterior."

During the hour they bathed and ate breakfast, the silence between them broke. Kakarot fell back into his normal habit of chattering endlessly and Vegeta accepted it all without telling him to shut his trap. Suppressed joy in seeing his rival so happy resurfaced. He wasn't sure what to think of himself.

After breakfast they walked down a forest path leading away from their living room. The nature around them inspired Kakarot to launch into a childhood story Vegeta had difficulty following. The way the sun spilled across his rival's tanned shoulders distracted him, as well as brought unwanted warmth to Vegeta's face.

The path leaded them to a clearing. Kakarot had been right. Before them was a vast lake that glinted sunlight off the surface into their eyes.

"Oooh!" Kakarot skipped toward the embankment only yards away. "Let's go for a swim!"

Vegeta eyed the slow rise and fall of the water. It was hot enough where a quick dip was hard to turn down. "Alright."

Immediately Kakarot pulled his shirt off and tossed it into the grass. He tugged on the sash around his waist. "Er, do you mind?"

The same uncomfortable heat from earlier crawled up Vegeta's neck and face as he removed his armor. Soon he was stripped down to what he'd forever classify as panties due to Kakarot's stupid remarks earlier. "Do I mind what?"

"Do you mind if I swim naked?"

Vegeta looked away. Should he feel bad the past few weeks had robbed Kakarot of his immodesty? "I won't stop you."

"Thanks!" Kakarot dropped his pants and boxers.

Vegeta couldn't stop himself from watching his perfectly-muscled rear sashay toward the lake. Seeing the water alongside Kakarot's body made him feel awful thirsty. The larger man bent to his knees and Vegeta saw taut balls dip between his legs. _I bet it'd be great to stick my face in between those perfectly round—_

He shook his head until the impure thought faded away. Kakarot sprung into the water, and the flexing of his muscled legs reminded Vegeta to swallow away the knot in his throat. _Holy shit it's hot out here._

Kakarot dipped below the surface of the water. Seconds later his spiky hair broke the surface and sharp laugher filled the clearing. "Come in already. It feels great!"

Vegeta sprinted toward the water and dove forward. The cold jolted all of his senses; for the first time since stepping into the time chamber his mind cleared to allow basic impulses to take over. He swam upward and emerged back into the warm sunlight.

His teeth chattered. "Fuck it's cold!"

"Hah!" Below the water Kakarot grabbed his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm freezing my balls off. But otherwise I'm fine." Vegeta rubbed the water out of his eyes and kicked his legs to keep himself afloat. "Shit!"

Kakarot bit his lip. His wet hair hung limp around his face and shoulders. "Sorry I touched your hand."

"You're still holding it."

"That's because, um, below the water I saw this cave. Wanna check it out?" Already he was losing his nerve. His grip on Vegeta's hand weakened.

Sunlight refracted through the water droplets cascading down the side of Kakarot's face. He looked devilishly handsome, and Vegeta's true feelings took command of his speech before he could censor himself. "It's fine. Just take me there."

Kakarot grinned. "Hold your breath."

Vegeta allowed Kakarot to drag him into the depths of the lake. It disturbed him the water was so deep he couldn't see the lake bed—perhaps he'd been right in thinking the beautiful world the time chamber created held a sinister secret. But Kakarot was unperturbed by their situation and continued to propel them both through the water with the ease of a fish.

Swimming forward soon led them to an opening in a rock face. After a minute straight of paddling through the tunnel, Vegeta prayed their journey didn't lead them to a dead end. He wasn't sure how long Kakarot could hold his breath, but he hoped his rival wasn't as careless as to allow them to die by drowning.

Finally they emerged in an underwater cave devoid of any light. While the air was musty with the scent of moss, the intake of air brought Vegeta back to his senses.

Beside him Kakarot gasped just as deeply. He erupted into a hearty laugh. "Sorry, Vegeta. I thought something cool would be down here. But this place can barely hold the two of us."

Their labored breathing echoed around them. Whenever Vegeta drifted too far away from his partner he scraped his cheek against the jagged rocks on the wall. Kakarot was so close to him their bare chests touched beneath the water. They still held hands.

"Hey." Kakarot's voice was deep and rumbly in his chest, similar to how he sounded when speaking during battle. The hairs on the back of Vegeta's neck rose. "I'm glad you came out with me today."

"Me too." Vegeta feared wherever their conversation was going couldn't arrive anywhere good.

"I—hmm." Kakarot cleared his throat. "I really want to kiss you again."

"You know how I feel about that." _Except you don't really know at all._

"I do. But since we don't talk any more I miss you. And because I miss you…I want to kiss you even more than before."

Wet fingers slid across Vegeta's clavicle. The sensation surprised him and immediately his underwear tightened. "Kakarot," he said, unsure how to ignore the pleasure coursing through him. _This is not friendly. Not at all._

"Please? Just one more time can we…" Kakarot trailed off into a sigh.

Vegeta closed his eyes. "You want to kiss me that badly?"

Thick fingers glided up the side of Vegeta's face to thread through his wet hair. "Yeah," Kakarot said, voice reduced to a whisper.

"Alright, Kakarot." Vegeta murmured the words as more of an affirmation to himself. "Alright."

Kakarot's hands cradled his face with a tenderness he hadn't expected. Lips sucked on his right earlobe. Kakarot's groan vibrated against his temple, and Vegeta purred in response. Slowly Kakarot looped his tongue inside the shell of Vegeta's ear until the smaller Saiyan sighed from the sensation. Chuckling, he slid his tongue across Vegeta's cheek until he reached his parted lips; he licked around the Prince's mouth in deliberate circles before pressing inside.

 _Oh fuck._ Inside of his mouth Kakarot slid across his gums and teeth, finally settling against his own tongue. They lapped against each other, a trickle of saliva escaping from the side of Vegeta's mouth, and moaned in unison. The hard cock pressing against Vegeta's groin erased any doubt from his mind his little Kakarot had innocent intentions toward him. As if his rival could read his mind, Kakarot pulled his hips back, then slid his length against Vegeta's in one long upward thrust.

Vegeta returned the favor. Kakarot moaned his name out loud, tongue slipping from its place in his mouth. Vegeta's fingers gained a mind of their own and grabbed onto Kakarot's marvelous buttocks to squeeze them as hard as possible.

"Fuck!" Kakarot cried. It was the first time Vegeta heard him utter the swear. "Vegeta, we gotta go."

"What? Why?"

Kakarot mumbled a string of nonsense. When Vegeta didn't comprehend or respond, Kakarot released an exasperated sigh. "My dick is really hard right now!"

Vegeta sputtered, unsure how to react. "Is that a _problem_?"

"I'm so sorry, Vegeta!" Kakarot's pitchy laugh rung in his ears. "Hold my hand again and I'll lead us back to dry land."

 _Why the hell does he want to leave now?!_ Completely baffled by Kakarot's shift in behavior, he decided it was best to question the idiot only after seeing how the rest of the day would unfold.

Vegeta wasn't sure how Kakarot could see in the darkness, but he managed to lead them back through the tunnel without a hitch. Once back into the main body of the lake the halo of light above them grew larger and larger, until they burst above the surface of the water once more. Vegeta hacked liquid out of his lungs as Kakarot dragged him to shore.

The exertion hadn't killed his erection. He crawled onto the sand on his belly and hoped Kakarot wasn't staring at him.

"Sorry Vegeta, but I can't stay. Gotta take care of something real quick. Stay here!" Vegeta felt a quick pat on his head. Kakarot's lumbering footsteps fled away from him into the forest.

"Fucking hell." Vegeta wasn't sure whether or not to bother pulling apart the wet curtain of hair covering his face. Although the air was now frigid compared to the water, the sun baked the skin on his back and quelled his shivering.

 _What do I do now?_ They had kissed again. No—it was worse than that. They'd made out and briefly humped each other. In his heart Vegeta knew if the same had happened in either of their beds he wouldn't have had the fortitude to allow Kakarot to escape him.

 _And where the hell did Kakarot run off to?_ He looked up. A few yards away he saw two bare legs poking out from behind a tree and the rapid movement of a man's arm moving up and down.

 _No. He can't seriously be—?_ The low grunts emitting from Kakarot confirmed his worst fears. His sparring partner— his supposed _friend_ —couldn't run more than half the length of a basketball court before jerking himself off.

 _Shit. What do I do?_ Was he expected to obediently lay where he was and wait for Kakarot to finish? _Fuck that_. He rose up off the ground, elbows and knees covered in dirt, and trudged toward the man defiling the peaceful forest sounds with his guttural, lusty moans.

"Vegeta, don't look!" The moment Vegeta caught Kakarot pumping himself, a thick spurt of liquid erupted from between his rival's fingers. His cum coated his straining thighs and he collapsed against the tree trunk behind him, utterly spent. Controlling his labored breathing made him incapable of multitasking; both his hands clutched the grass at his sides while his legs were splayed open, exposing the mess he made to the world.

Luckily for Kakarot his only audience was a Saiyan prince bent on telling him off. "Kakarot, what the everlasting _fuck_ are you doing?"

"I'm sorry!" Kakarot panted between his words. "But I couldn't hold it in any longer!"

 _This buffoon was so horny he couldn't wait to get back to our home and jerk off in the shower like any other normal person? And why didn't he try to have sex with me instead?_ Vegeta scrambled to make sense of the shameless display burning sexy images into his memory. Kakarot definitely _was_ attracted to him. Their tongue olympics earlier had proved that much to him. The spontaneous jerking off was just icing on the cake.

 _And here comes the deluge._ Kakarot's still hard cock aroused the dirtiest part of Vegeta's imagination he'd worked hard to suppress ever since they'd entered the time chamber. It was so thick he imagined himself having a fun time wrapping both hands around it and having a fun jerk himself.

While recovering from his orgasm Kakarot slid his hand across his thighs to gently stroke his own balls, which made Vegeta feel like the perviest pervert in the world for not looking away. _What would one of those feel like in my mouth?_

Kakarot too had wandering eyes. He stared down past Vegeta's waist. "Vegeta. You're—you have a—uh." He scratched the back of his head.

Vegeta couldn't think of a single excuse that could pardon his raging boner. He bit his lip. "I have a what?"

"A problem."

Vegeta imagined all the possible ways this conversation could end. Every scenario involved him ditching his underwear. He was spiraling toward a decision he knew would be wrong to make, but Kakarot's bedroom eyes weren't convincing him to travel the path of righteousness. He licked his lips. "And what should I do about it?"

"You should take care of it."

"Alright." Vegeta peeled off his underwear. Kakarot burst into a fit of nervous giggling, which Vegeta ignored as he walked around the tree to the opposite side. Having his cock out at full attention and standing completely nude in the forest invigorated him with a strange energy. He slid down against the smooth tree trunk until he reached the ground. The cool grass felt good against his thighs as he spread them to feel the breeze against his sensitive skin.

God it felt good pulling and tugging on himself out in the open like this. Normally he was a quiet masturbater, but Kakarot's curious face drifting into his periphery encouraged him to be more vocal.

For the umpteenth time that day Kakarot said his name. He sat beside Vegeta, mesmerized by the sight before him. Only his hand ventured forward to stroke Vegeta's hip, perhaps his own shy way of spurring the smaller Saiyan on. The Prince tightened his grip and wallowed in the pleasure the fruit of his labor gifted him. He purred more than he ever had in his life, the pleasure rising from his loins throughout all of his limbs to seize him in a state of ecstasy. Precum flowed from his tip and lubricated his shaft, which twitched in his palm. Kakarot's earlier fondling of himself inspired him to use his left hand to tease his balls.

The act compelled Kakarot to turn his head and swallow away Vegeta's moans. Unlike in the cave, Kakarot's tongue was frantic this time and thrashed inside of his mouth in desperation. His grip on Vegeta's hip tightened. If he suddenly slid his hands between Vegeta's legs and finished the job for him the Prince wouldn't have a lick of sanity left to stop him.

His rival's hot mouth brought him to the brink. The idea of those wet lips sucking him to completion forced a short yelp out of him. His balls clenched; cum sprayed across his hands, his thighs, and the grass, Kakarot's hand massaging him until he softened.

Vegeta felt the tongue in his mouth lavish his palate and his own tongue one last time before pulling out. Kakarot wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. "Wow," he said, eyes glazed over.

"Wow is right." Vegeta's closed his eyes and relaxed the weight of his head against the bark behind him. _Did I just cheat? Or did that not count?_

"You looked great." The words were mushy and garbled coming from Kakarot's slack mouth. "I wasn't sure you'd ever want to do something like that with me."

 _And what would you call what we just did together?_ Vegeta had no response for the boundary they just crossed in their friendship. The afterglow of his orgasm would only last for a while. Might as well enjoy it and keep his mouth shut.

"I really do like you a lot," Kakarot sighed. He ran his sticky hand across Vegeta's rising and falling chest, then placed his head in the crook of the Prince's neck. Humming, he cuddled beside him much like they had in the park.

Vegeta lolled his head to the side so his cheek flattened against Kakarot's damp hair. "We need to talk."

"Mm. About what?" Kakarot sounded perfectly content. A low purr rumbled through his chest and Vegeta wanted to throw a tantrum over how much it calmed him. How could his rival sit there, both of them covered in their own cum, and think it was the perfect time to snuggle?

"We need to talk about _us_." Vegeta waved his lazy hand between the two of them. "What are we doing right now?"

"Having fun. Right?" As if to prove his point, Kakarot turned his head and nibbled the side of Vegeta's neck.

Vegeta flexed his palm. His fingers itched to hold hands with his rival again. _Even after coming I'm thinking about this hand-holding nonsense?_ He sighed. "We shouldn't be having _this_ sort of fun."

Beneath his head Kakarot sighed. "Okay. Let's talk. But you'll have to explain some things to me too."

Vegeta raised his eyebrow. "Do I?"

"Yeah. Almost everything you do confuses me!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again BringingYaoiBack for reading over this! :)

Both of them waded into the water to wash themselves. Vegeta kept his distance from Kakarot so he could take a moment to gather his thoughts. His post-orgasm high had faded and the realization of what had happened between them forced his guilty conscious into overdrive.

A few feet away Kakarot sat crouched on the balls of his feet, thighs spread open. He carded his hand through the water and splashed it between his legs. At the same time he caught Vegeta staring at him, he scrubbed his palm against his pubic hair. "Are we going to talk now?"

Vegeta peeled his eyes away from his rival's still half-hard length. "Not while you're doing that we're not. Have some decency!"

Kakarot looked down at his crotch. "We can't talk 'cause I'm naked?"

" _And_ because you're touching yourself."

"But how else am I going to get clean?"

Vegeta turned his head away. On the shore two squirrels chased each other in circles through the sand. _The time chamber can create living creatures as well?_ At least the stupid animals gave him something to focus on other than Kakarot's dangling junk. "Just hurry it up."

"This is why you confuse me, Vegeta. We were naked doing stuff just a few minutes ago, but now you don't want to look at me?"

"That was different!" Vegeta said with his cheek still turned. "I don't need to know how you wash your balls."

"But I don't mind looking at _your_ balls."

"I didn't ask if you did!" Vegeta rose to his feet, figuring he was as clean as a person could get from wallowing in lake water. He trudged back toward shore with his sights still set on the squirrel couple playing tag. The moment his foot touched dry land the larger of the two animals mounted the other and fucked it into submission.

 _Is this an omen? But of what?_ His hasty fingers plucked his underwear and armor up from the ground and shook it free of sand. _I hope they didn't fuck on this while I wasn't looking._ Behind him he heard the sound of an idiot lumbering through water. Hurriedly he slid his clothes back on.

Kakarot picked his shirt up off the ground and pulled it over his head. "I have a question for you. I hope it isn't too weird."

Vegeta held his breath. Was Kakarot going to ask him how he felt about their relationship? Maybe whether or not Vegeta had feelings for him? He wasn't sure how to answer that particular question. Kakarot was attractive and all and he enjoyed spending time around him, but it was dangerous for him to develop any feelings—

"Do you always touch yourself with your left hand? I thought you were right-handed."

Vegeta's stomach dropped. "You're asking me about how I masturbate?"

"Yeah. I always do it with this one," Kakarot said, wiggling the fingers on his right hand in demonstration. "I've never tried it with my left. Is it better that way?"

Vegeta kneaded both of his palms against his eyes. "Put your pants on."

"But—"

"Do it!"

Kakarot finished dressing himself. While tugging his gloves back on Vegeta scared away the perverted squirrels still humping on the sand. The last thing he needed was Kakarot getting any funny ideas.

They returned to the winding path that would lead them back home. Kakarot had the brilliant idea to not only hold hands with Vegeta, but to swing their arms to and fro as they walked through the forest. The sun peeked at them through the trees and multiple birds zipped past them chirping love songs; Vegeta glared at Kakarot until he finally noticed his sullen disposition.

"Is something wrong?" Kakarot asked.

"What the fuck is this?" Vegeta used the hand not lovingly intertwined with Kakarot's to point at their shame.

Kakarot shrugged. "Hand-holding?"

" _Why_ are we doing this?"

"Because it feels nice."

"It does not."

"Alright. Let me go then."

Vegeta sneered. "If you think this is a cute trick to distract me from talking to you about how we jerked off earlier, you're a bigger fool than I thought."

"I'm ready whenever you are, Vegeta. But if you hate holding hands then just say so."

"I _did_ say so. Remember? When we first came here?"

"Then why are you still holding onto me?"

"Shut-up, Kakarot."

"How can I shut-up if you want to talk?"

Vegeta grumbled. "Kakarot. Are you—?" Vegeta stared at their hands again. What was the best possible way to phrase it? "Do you have feelings for me that are more than friendly?"

"What do you mean?"

"Romantic feelings. Do you have them for me?"

"No."

"Then why are you holding hands with me?"

Kakarot's mouth quirked. "Is what we're doing romantic?"

Vegeta waved his free hand across the panorama of beautiful scenery around them. "Have you not noticed the hummingbirds flying in the shape of hearts for the past five minutes?"

"No?"

Vegeta stared at the ground. It was the only place he could look that wasn't radiating with nauseating cheer.

Kakarot laughed with a shaky pitch in his voice. "Erm. Do you _want_ me to have romantic feelings for you?"

 _Maybe._ "No."

"That's good. I think Chi-Chi would be mad at me if I did!"

Any mention of what Kakarot did with his wife, whether it be romantic or sexual, irritated Vegeta at the very core of his being. Jealousy wasn't an apt enough word to describe how it set him on edge. Something about the ease with which Kakarot loved her didn't feel fair.

"She'd be upset if she ever knew we kissed each other," Vegeta said, hoping to burst Kakarot's happy marital bubble.

Kakarot peered up into the sky. "I hope not. When I kiss you it's totally different from when I kiss her."

"How so?"

"I get really excited. I also feel the same way when we're sparring. And whenever we get to hang out." He finally locked eyes with Vegeta and smiled. "And, um, I sometimes get excited when I look at you for too long. Is that strange?"

"You enjoy looking at me?"

"Yeah. You're, ah…"

"Good-looking?"

Kakarot nodded.

Vegeta ventured onto the precipice of where their friendship ended. "What about the way I look do you like?"

Suddenly bashful, Kakarot erupted into nervous laughter. "I like your body. You've always been strong, but after training with you recently I've noticed how much bigger your muscles have grown and I really like how they look on you."

 _That is the gayest thing I've ever heard Kakarot say. Does he even realize it?_ Vegeta felt faint. "Go on."

"Your face is nice to look at too." Kakarot blushed. "It's pretty."

Vegeta had been called a lot of things during his life, none of them being the word 'pretty.' He wasn't sure he had anything to lose in stating the obvious at this point. "Those _are_ romantic feelings, Kakarot."

Kakarot's eyebrows furrowed at the line of reasoning Vegeta was taking him down. "Nu-uh. Romance is like what I have with Chi-Chi."

"What's the difference between what you feel for her and what you feel for me?"

"She's like home to me. Without her I wouldn't have anywhere else to go."

 _That's an interesting view on your marriage._ Unsure what to make of it, Vegeta continued to drag the information from his rival bit-by-bit, hoping they both came to some sort of revelation before they arrived back home. "You're in love with her, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Kakarot tilted his head. "We're friends. And I care about her. But I care about all of my friends. Except with Chi-Chi we—"

"Have sex."

"Yeah. But you're different from her because you make me feel weird all of the time."

 _There's that word again._ "What's so weird about me?"

"You're pretty and I want to spend all of my time with you. It's weird because I don't feel that way about anyone else."

"Kakarot. Your wife wants you to feel that way about _her_."

Next to him his partner's gait slowed down, which caused Vegeta to become slightly unbalanced due to their linked hands. Kakarot scratched his head. "Really?"

"Yes!" Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I knew you were dumb, but not brain dead. Why else do you think your wife complains about you training too often? She wants you to spend more time with her."

Kakarot stopped in his tracks. "Why would I want to spend all of my time with her when I have you?"

No longer having their walk as an excuse to stare at the ground, Vegeta was forced to look Kakarot in the eye. "What you're describing are romantic feelings. A crush." He paused. "Love."

The taller Saiyan stared back at him. His eyes slowly widened. "But I thought people who were in love want to—you know—"

"Have sex with each other?" Vegeta found the courage to ask the question he'd wanted an answer for since the day on the green couch. "Be honest. Do you want to have sex with _me_?"

"Don't be silly, Vegeta. Men can't have sex with each other."

Vegeta's maw fell open. _Oh. Oh no._ "They absolutely can, Kakarot."

Kakarot furiously scratched the back of his head loud enough for Vegeta to hear the dragging of his nails through his scalp. "Wh _aaaa_ t? Really?"

He couldn't help but smile at the dumb bastard. "Is kissing and holding hands all you ever wanted to do with me?"

A glimmer of interest flickered in Kakarot's eyes as his pupils dilated. He ran his tongue across his upper lip. "Is there more we could do together?"

"There's a lot more we could do."

"Like what?"

Vegeta rolled his shoulders to release the building tension in his muscles. No matter how Kakarot responded to his next words he promised to commit it to memory forever. "For example, I could jerk you off. Or you could give me a blow job. Or I could fuck your ass with my tongue, fingers, or cock. The possibilities are endless."

Again, Kakarot tilted his head as if Vegeta had spoken to him in a foreign language. "I don't know what any of that means."

 _How sheltered is this man?_ "You know how you were touching yourself earlier? If I did that _for_ you it'd be a hand job."

"Huh. And if you used your fingers on me you'd put them up my—?"

"Yes."

Kakarot slid his thumb across Vegeta's knuckles. "Does doing that feel good on the inside?"

"It does." _Please don't ask me how I know._

"How do you know?"

 _Goddammit._ "I've done some experimenting. Let's leave it at that."

Kakarot's eyes bulged at having his worldview broadened. "Would you ever _want_ to do that to me?"

"Stick my fingers up your ass?"

"Yeah."

"It depends on how bad you wanted it." _Shit, that's not how I wanted to respond!_

"I don't know if I'd like that." Kakarot blew out a puff of air. "Is that different from whatever a 'blow job' is?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Don't tell me your wife hasn't even given you a courtesy dick-sucking."

"Sucking? Chi-Chi wouldn't ever let me put it in her mouth." Kakarot shivered at the thought. "She'd probably get mad at me and bite it off or something!"

Pity was a rare emotion Vegeta felt when it came to dealing with Kakarot. On any other occasion he would have basked in the feeling of having finally one-upped the dolt in an arena of life. But instead he thought about the fun he could have in rectifying Kakarot's lack of experience. "It feels great. You should try it sometime."

"With who?"

 _I walked straight into that one._ "With—"

"You?"

Vegeta blanched. "Do you want my dick in your mouth?"

"Gee, I don't know. Would it taste good? Like food?"

 _Would it taste good?!_ "You idiot. This has nothing to do with your bottomless stomach!"

"Don't yell at me just because I'm confused!"

"It's not on me to explain to you what sex is, or how you feel about me—"

"I already told you how I felt. I _like_ you!"

"Listen." Both of them still face-to-face, Vegeta pinched Kakarot's chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Do you want to fuck me or not?"

Kakarot's eyes darted left and right. "F…fuck?"

 _Looks like he needs a little help._ "Do you remember when we were in the cave and you rubbed your dick against me?"

"Yeah. I liked it."

"Would you like to do it again?" Vegeta scrambled to clarify himself. "Except I'd be naked too?"

Lighting finally struck. A blush erupted across Kakarot's face. "Gosh Vegeta. Uhh…"

 _So all it took was mentioning something he could relate to._ Vegeta tapped the tip of Kakarot's nose. He couldn't help but smirk at having turned the tables on his rival and finally putting _him_ into the uncomfortable position. "How would you feel if we did that until we both came?"

Kakarot released Vegeta's hand. In a strange act of boyishness he kicked a rock across the ground and avoided Vegeta's gaze. "Do you mind if I hang out here alone while you head back?"

 _This is bullshit. I almost get him to confess and he's going to run away like a bitch?_ "Why do you want me to leave all of a sudden?"

"I need to gather my thoughts."

"'Gather your thoughts'? Are you going to waste the rest of the day searching for them beneath rocks and inside of bushes?"

"Don't be like that. I just need to think about you. Alone."

"You're such an asshole, Kakarot." Vegeta rose several feet into the air, content he could say his last words while staring down at the other Saiyan like a bug he wanted to squash. "You never once asked how _I_ felt about you liking me."

Kakarot smiled. "Do you have weird feelings for me too, Vegeta?"

"You think you're so goddamn cute. _Fuck_ you. Have fun getting lost in the forest, nature boy." Vegeta didn't bother waiting for Kakarot's reaction. He rocketed away in a blaze of blue light.

* * *

For the next few hours Vegeta lay on his bed reading a book he'd found in his dresser drawer. It was written in Namekian and filled with strange illustrations he couldn't interpret. Across aged pages mythological monsters fought green-skinned men in various landscapes. Why Dende would leave such a strange thing in the time chamber was beyond him.

Nevertheless, he was grateful for the distraction. In so many words Kakarot had admitted he truly pined after Vegeta, but the Prince wasn't sure how to process it. It excited him in ways he thought were unflattering for a warrior: all the butterflies in his stomach and fantasies of Kakarot lying next to him in bed made him want to puke. Floating around with his lovey-dovey thoughts were also vivid images of getting his dick sucked by Kakarot's pretty mouth. Except the man didn't know a goddamn thing about blow jobs, so he'd probably be bad at getting Vegeta off.

 _I could show him how to do it._ Vegeta groaned, rolled over in bed, and covered his face with the book. _I wish I thought this much about maiming him instead of fucking him._

Obviously his rival was too stupid to realize he wanted a good screw from Vegeta. And Vegeta could be okay with that. _Maybe._ It wasn't like he actually wanted Kakarot to be his…boyfriend? Would that be the correct term to use? If they only fucked then they'd just be friends with benefits. Or fuck buddies.

 _What if Kakarot wants me for more than my body?_ Naïve Kakarot didn't even know what true romance entailed, so it was unlikely. Even _if_ he wanted to hold hands and kiss all of the time.

A wave of nausea fell over him. Bulma would wring his neck for even considering forming an illicit relationship with her childhood friend. That fact alone should have removed all of the hesitation his situation mired him in. Fucking to just pass the time would be cheating. Being in love—however that would become manifest between him and Kakarot—would be cheating as well.

He folded his hands together on top of his chest and continued to stare into the darkness that the book enveloped his face in. A deep inhale of the pages reminded him of the strange place he and his rival would live for the next three years. If anything did happen involving them and messy bedsheets, it would be temporary. Three years was long enough for the duo to quench any suppressed desires between them. Once the chamber door opened again they could return to their normal lives as if nothing had happened.

He bit his lip. _Do I really want to be intimate with Kakarot?_ Memories of being naked earlier swelled to the forefront of his mind. More than anything he wished Kakarot had dropped his ass onto his cock and let Vegeta piston him up and down until he came. That would have been a hell of a lot better than jerking himself off.

"Fuck." _I want him bad._

The sound of Kakarot's boots clicking against the floor broke his concentration. He jumped up in bed then poked his head outside of his protective curtain. Kakarot stood a few feet away with a guilty look on his face.

"You're back."

"Yeah." Kakarot walked backwards toward the bathroom with his hands behind his back. "I'm gonna—you know. Do you want to maybe—?" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

"What are you asking me?"

"I'm about to take a bath."

Vegeta blinked. "You want me to join you?"

"Only if you want to. I thought maybe we could continue our conversation from earlier in there?"

 _Or we could talk out here. With our clothes on._ "Alright. I'll meet you in there in a moment."

"Great!" Kakarot's voice had an unusually high pitch to it. Embarrassed, he pounded his chest and coughed. "I mean…cool." He disappeared inside of the bathroom.

Vegeta crawled out of bed and placed the book back on his dresser. It was past noon and Kakarot hadn't even mentioned lunch plans. _Whatever he has planned for our "conversation" must be urgent._


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you BringingYaoiBack for being my beta reader! I was sick while I wrote most of this, so she had to put up with some real NyQuil-induced nonsense this time around. :) You have her to thank for this being safe for readers to consume.

The journey to the bathroom was the longest ten feet Vegeta had ever walked in his life. He'd hesitated and turned around a few times, almost yelling at Kakarot to drag his ass out of the tub and bring their discussion back into the living room. After a few minutes of waffling, he became disgusted by his own cowardice and marched straight through the bathroom door.

Steam blasted into his face. The sound of splashing water echoed around him. Instinctively his hand ghosted over the door's handle again, the chance to quickly escape too strong of a temptation. Before committing to the act, the door slammed shut with a loud _bang_ that ricocheted off of every single tile in the room. If he turned back now he'd make a horrible racket and Kakarot would see how much his fear rattled him. The urge to flee was his last line of defense against his rival's advances, however shameful of a feeling it was. Running away to bury his head and salacious thoughts in the sand would make him an obedient husband. A _good_ husband.

But it would make him a poor warrior. And he couldn't have that.

His spiky-haired temptress—a new perception of his rival that Vegeta regretted had poisoned his thoughts—sat in the gargantuan tub against the wall. Panic clouded Kakarot's features: his eyes darted every which way and his face reddened. His shoulders slumped forward and he looked impossibly small under Vegeta's stare. He'd never seen his rival look so adorably sheepish.

 _Fuck. He's_ not _adorable._ Vegeta attempted to bleach away any associations in his mind that linked Kakarot with such sickening words. _Kakarot is in no way_ _adorable, cute, precious, or beautiful…nor is he breathtaking…_

"Vegeta? Are you okay?"

Not even his thoughts were a safe place for him to hide. Vegeta shimmied off every piece of clothing from his body with his eyes looking everywhere except for Kakarot's wet, shimmering chest. He slid a foot into the water. It was sweltering hot: fiery enough to melt the skin off of any normal human. Just how he liked it. Slowly he lowered himself opposite of his rival until the exposed cool porcelain of the tub touched his back. Foamy bubbles glided across the surface of the water. He rose his head. There was nowhere else to look except for Kakarot's scrunched-up face.

Vegeta held his breath. _Time to cut through the bullshit so I can get the hell out of here._ "Why did it take you four hours to gather your thoughts?"

Between his cupped hands Kakarot squirted a small fountain of water into the air. "I had a lot to think about."

"Did you?"

"Yeah!" Kakarot pouted, looking boldly back at Vegeta for the first time since he'd arrived. "When you explained all that sex stuff to me earlier I realized something."

 _Shivering. The water's boiling hot and I'm shivering._ Vegeta spread his arms across both sides of the tub in an effort to calm his nerves and center his thoughts. It didn't help that Kakarot's eyes trailed the length of his right arm. A coil of nervous energy settled in his stomach. He couldn't wait any longer for his rival to destroy whatever pretense of platonic friendship laid between them. "Spit it out then!"

"I want to fuck you!"

The confidence behind his words made Vegeta's breath hitch in his throat. The delicious way Kakarot cursed wasn't characteristic of him at all. "We can't," Vegeta said in a half-grunt to mask the purr building in his chest.

Kakarot's lower lip quivered, which did fuck all to help Vegeta's rapidly dissipating sense of control. "Why not, Vegeta? I thought you wanted to?"

"I never said that!"

"You didn't _say_ it, but the way you talked about it made it seem like you wanted to do it with me."

"That's not true at all!"

Kakarot sighed. He glided through the water and closed the gap between them, but didn't dare touch Vegeta just yet. Only inches away from the Prince's face, he tilted his head in confusion. "Don't be like that, Vegeta. I thought about this for a long time and I know it's what I want. Don't you feel the same way?"

Uncomfortable with how close their faces were and how Kakarot's breath tickled his nose, Vegeta slightly turned his head to the side. "Four hours is all it took for you to decide that cheating on your wife was a good idea?"

"I thought about that too." Even without directly looking at Kakarot's lips, out of the corner of his eyes Vegeta could tell how red and plump they were from the fool biting them too much. "Chi-Chi would be mad at me if I touched you like I touch her. But—"

"No buts, Kakarot. We can't. It's wrong." Vegeta might as well have been issuing his own firing squad with the level of conviction he spoke with. His voice had died down to a whimper.

Kakarot grabbed onto his chin and forced Vegeta to look at him dead on. "Can I finish?"

Every modicum of his being told Vegeta to smack the vile hand away and chastise the third class for getting too comfortable around him. But Kakarot's wide, innocent eyes froze him on the spot. Vegeta had to move. He had to do or say _something_. If he got up out of the tub, told Kakarot to fuck off, and returned to their previous agreement of three years of silence, this nonsense between them could finally end.

Kakarot's soft lips graced his own. The kiss was short lived. He pulled away and smiled at Vegeta. "I hate seeing you look so upset."

 _It's over._ Vegeta drooped forward against Kakarot's chest. He heard the steady thrumming of his rival's heart against his ear. _This is it. This is the end. I'm fucked. Kissing has already become normal for us._ "Go ahead," he sighed. "Make your case."

Content with his surrender, Kakarot leaned forward and rubbed circles into his back. "I figured since it feels different when I kiss you compared to Chi-Chi, maybe if we do some of the things you mentioned earlier that would feel different too? It's not like I'm replacing her with you."

The low grumble in Vegeta's chest grew into a loud purr. Kakarot was doing a fine job of massaging the tension out of his muscles. "Do you like her more than me?"

"You're so confusing, Vegeta. Do you want me to?"

"I don't care."

"Then why do you want to know?"

"If we're going to have sex I need to know if I'm just a side piece of ass for you."

Kakarot burst into laughter. "Would it hurt your feelings if you were?"

Vegeta gently bit into Kakarot's shoulder. "You're a piece of work, you bastard."

"Mmhm." Kakarot wrapped his right arm around Vegeta's torso. Both of them sat in the water with their legs crossed and would have to crawl on top of each other to get any closer. "But you know I don't feel that way about you, right? You're my best friend."

"What about your wife?"

Kakarot shrugged. "I'd rather spend more time with you. And have sex. That doesn't make me any less married to Chi-Chi, does it?"

Vegeta chuckled into Kakarot's wet skin. "Marriage doesn't work that way."

"Why not?"

"Didn't anyone explain to you how the nuptials on this planet works?"

"Yeah. But what does that have to do with you and me?"

Vegeta ventured his hand up Kakarot's right side. The larger Saiyan laughed from the sensation, filling the steamy room with giggles that sent a chill up Vegeta's spine. How could someone so innocent suggest they break their marital vows? "You're not _that_ dumb, Kakarot. If we did have sex, your wife would wring both of our necks."

"Why would she have to know about it?"

"Hiding secrets from your wife? That's a bit naughty for you, don't you think?"

"Does Bulma know about everything _you_ do when you're away from home?"

Vegeta rose. He couldn't spend this part of their conversation with his face buried in the man's chest like a helpless child. Kakarot smiled once their eyes met again "No, she doesn't. But I've never fucked anyone else since being with her."

"I haven't done anything like that either. But Chi-Chi doesn't know everything I do when I'm not around."

Vegeta rubbed his thumb against the tip of Kakarot's chin. "You want to have a secret affair with me?"

Kakarot scratched the back of his head. "No one else is in the chamber with us. Everything we do is technically a secret, right? If we started touching and stuff, that would just be one more thing nobody had to know about."

 _Am I seriously going to let Kakarot try to use logic against me?_ "Just because no one would know about it doesn't make it any less wrong."

"But it doesn't _feel_ wrong, Vegeta. Whenever I see you or touch you, it makes me happy. And I want to have sex 'cause—"

"Because why?"

"I think it'd be fun."

"'Fun'? Is that how you see me? You want me to be your new toy?"

Kakarot wrinkled his nose. "Don't go twisting my words around. You know I don't feel that way about you."

"How can I be so sure?" Vegeta trailed his finger up Kakarot's chest, across his neck, and behind his ear. "Maybe you just see me as a tramp that'll get your rocks off until you get back to your wife in three years. Then you'll never speak to me again."

Kakarot gulped. "Nu-uh. You're my best friend, Vegeta. I'd never treat you like that."

"Good." Vegeta brushed his nose against Kakarot's. He closed his eyes and thought of his wife—of how upset she would be if she even had a cursory glimpse of the disgusting things he planned on doing to her childhood friend. But Kakarot's impossibly soft mouth kissed him again and all of his doubt floated up and away from the room along with any remembrance of Bulma. In the time chamber he could be a different man. One free of the marital responsibility that infected humankind. Maybe.

He exhaled. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Really?!"

"But only while we're in here. After the three years are up we'll go back to just training. Understood?"

Once more Kakarot chewed on his bottom lip; he looked up at the ceiling in thought. "What if it feels good and I don't want to stop after we leave? We still wouldn't have to tell anyone—"

"We have to stop. I can't live two lives once we leave this place."

"Okay." Kakarot lowered his voice. "Does sex between two men feel better than kissing?"

"Yes."

Kakarot's eyes lit up. "Then can we try it now?"

For the first time, Vegeta initiated a kiss between them. Kakarot moaned at the contact, parting his lips so Vegeta could explore his mouth. A sweet flavor lay across his tongue. Vegeta pulled away and chuckled. "I knew you couldn't go four straight hours without eating."

Kakarot blushed. "I ate some fruit while I was out thinking in the forest. I needed brain food!"

Vegeta licked his lips and savored the lingering tart taste on his tongue. "You're something else, Kakarot."

"Something good or bad?"

"Both." Vegeta rose to his knees and waded forward in the water. He straddled Kakarot's waist and sat down, his purr building into a soft moan once both of their erections slid against each other. The water was clear and Vegeta could see Kakarot's firm dick below the surface, the urge to stroke it drawing his hand downward until his desire came true. The thick flesh slid easily in his grasp as he worked the shaft and eventually culled a growl from Kakarot's open mouth.

"Haa…hm…" Kakarot roped both his arms around Vegeta and slid his calloused fingertips across the Prince's back. Vegeta sighed at the probing touch, matching his slow movement with his partner's. As Kakarot slid his thumb across his tail spot, Vegeta arched into the touch and swirled his forefinger over the smooth head of Kakarot's cock.

"Fff—that feels really good, Vegeta." Kakarot dragged his tongue against Vegeta's left nipple and suckled on it. "Hm. What's this from?"

Vegeta paused his stroking hand and instead gently thrust up against Kakarot to gain friction between them. He groaned. "What's _what_ from?"

"This scar. Right here." Kakarot traced his fingers across a scarred gash over Vegeta's hip.

The third class's sudden interest in his body stroked Vegeta's ego much more than he liked to admit. "It's from a fight I had when I was a child. Huge ugly bug creature with pincers."

Kakarot groaned. He tugged on Vegeta's nipple with his teeth. "Oh, Vegeta…"

Vegeta applied more pressure between their rocking hips. He grasped onto Kakarot's back and increased his pace, enjoying the soft moans rising from below him. In their position Vegeta was turned on enough to have to fight his eyes from closing shut, but not so far gone he'd come any second. It was a perfect introduction to learning how they could draw pleasure from one another, Kakarot's curious hands and soft voice making him feel safe while their humping gave him a hint of what was to come whenever they did leave the tub.

"W-what's this one from?" Kakarot had worked himself into a full pant now. His shaky hand wavered over a small scar beneath Vegeta's right shoulder blade.

"Spar with Nappa."

"Mm, yeah?" Kakarot gazed up at Vegeta while flicking his tongue against his collarbone. He met each of Vegeta's thrusts with his own, swaying the bathwater around them and threatening it to spill over the edge of the tub. "What about this one?"

"I was twenty. Got ambushed by space bootleggers."

Kakarot sighed; he grabbed onto Vegeta's hips and dragged him back and forth against his crotch. Seeing Kakarot so desperate made Vegeta chuckle. As the water spilled out of the tub and flooded the floor Vegeta laughed even harder.

Perhaps as revenge, Kakarot ground his thumb into Vegeta's tail spot once more. "What about this one, 'Geta?"

Vegeta's laughter swiftly became a strangled stutter. "S-some bastard cut it off years ago."

"Yeah?"

"Fuck, yes," Vegeta said, raking his shuddering hands through Kakarot's scalp. He wished he could see his rival's face before he came, but the way they undulated against each other was too perfect. Kakarot rolled his hips in earnest, their lengths sliding harder against each other in the water, drawing Vegeta closer to the edge. He'd never dreamed he'd come from something so simple, but the loving hands on his body and reckless abandon of Kakarot's bucking hips drove him into a frenzy.

"Fuck, Vegeta, what about here?" Kakarot grabbed his ass cheeks and spread the Prince wide while continuing his thrusting. A curious finger snaked its way up past Vegeta's balls and gently poked at his hole.

Vegeta shouted. He bucked up against Kakarot, sending a small wave of water over the edge of the tub into the floor. "Kakarot!"

"You're so hot, 'Geta." Kakarot circled the tight bundle of muscles. "I'm goin' in."

Vegeta's grip on the man's head verged on dangerous as his fingers clenched tighter at the damp locks. "You dirty fuck!"

Kakarot moaned as his finger slipped past the ring of muscle into Vegeta's ass. "Damn. You're so tight an' soft in here."

"Fuck me," Vegeta begged, bouncing up and down against Kakarot's hand. "Use your hand and fuck me."

"Yeah, I'll fuck you alright." Kakarot buried his finger to the knuckle in Vegeta's tight ass and swirled his wrist for added effect.

 _It wasn't supposed to happen like this_ , Vegeta thought. Kakarot was supposed to be the one with a finger up his ass, crying for mercy. The wondrous man rubbed a spot inside of him that lit every one of his nerve endings on fire; with one final thrust forward, Vegeta growled and came beneath the water. He stilled and collapsed down on top of his rival, a string of expletives on his lips. Dazed, he pulled Kakarot into an open-mouthed kiss, only to be bitten on the lips for his effort.

The coppery scent of his own blood wafted through the air. Kakarot grunted a few times; after coming he withdrew his finger from Vegeta's tightness to cup the curve of his ass.

As he came to his senses, Vegeta glanced around the room. Half of the bathwater had emptied the tub and flooded the floor.

Kakarot grabbed onto Vegeta's chin and swiveled his head around so his attention was back on him. He kissed Vegeta again, gently lapping his tongue against the Prince's bottom lip to salve the wound he'd made. "Sorry. I got carried away because you felt so good!" He pulled away from the kiss and nuzzled his head against Vegeta's heaving chest.

Vegeta quirked his mouth. He hadn't anticipated post-coital cuddling. The tingling sensation coursing through his muscles made Kakarot's loving hold of him all the more enjoyable. He purred for the umpteenth time that day and rested his cheek on Kakarot's head. "I'm not letting you do that again."

"Do what?" Kakarot licked at Vegeta's nipple again.

 _Why does he keep doing that?_ Vegeta sighed but allowed Kakarot to continue having his way with him. "I'm not letting you stick a finger up my ass again."

Kakarot froze. "It didn't feel good? You were moaning and looked so hot during it, I thought you liked it?"

Heat rose to Vegeta's face. "Yes," he hissed, "I _liked_ it, but—"

"Then what's the problem?"

"I want to finger _your_ ass."

Kakarot giggled and held Vegeta even tighter. "Don't worry. Don't we have all three years to try new stuff?"

"Hmph. If you think I'm just going to roll over and fuck whenever you feel like it, you're sorely mistaken."

Kakarot's shoulders slumped. "Oh. Okay."

"What's the matter?"

"I thought we could do it a lot since, you know, we've got a limited amount of time."

"How often were you hoping we'd fuck?"

"I dunno. A few times…a day?"

Vegeta lowered himself back down into the tub to get a good look at Kakarot's blushing face. "What the hell? What about our training?"

"We're still going train! But, heh, we need breaks too!"

"You're a pervert."

"That's not true." Kakarot took Vegeta's hand beneath the water. "We can take a real bath now if you want!"

Vegeta watched his rival's long, sinuous arms reach for a loofah hanging near the back of the tub. Without uttering a single complaint or insult, Vegeta allowed Kakarot to bathe every inch of his body. Vegeta's lover—the idea still clumsy inside of his mind—lathered his hair with shampoo and leisurely massaged his scalp until Vegeta hummed in delight. No one had ever washed his hair before. The familiar way Kakarot cleansed his scalp both lit his heart aflame and filled him with an acute sadness.

"Have you ever washed your wife's hair before?"

Kakarot scrubbed at the base of Vegeta's neck. "Nah."

Vegeta sunk backwards into Kakarot's grasp and smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you BringingYaoiBack for beta reading my sin.

_I knew this shit would affect our spars._

Vegeta's heel arched through the air in a perfect trajectory that connected with the side of Kakarot's neck. Anyone of lesser strength would have suffered a clean beheading and any opponent stronger than himself would need at least a few seconds to recover.

Kakarot's response was a humiliating third possibility Vegeta hadn't considered. His rival latched onto his ankle, spun around, and used the momentum of the Prince's roundhouse kick to fling him miles away into the distance. They fought outside where the forest landscape still bloomed with life around their temporary home; Vegeta spun toward the earth and saw an open meadow yawning toward him.

He wasn't given the privilege of a crash landing. Kakarot instantly transmitted behind Vegeta and caught him in a loving embrace. Smiling wide enough to split his face, Kakarot flew backwards a few hundred feet to slow down Vegeta's descent.

"Hey!" Kakarot's stupid laughter drowned out Vegeta's growls. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright!" Vegeta ripped himself free from Kakarot's grasp. He floated in the air with his arms crossed. "What's your fucking problem?"

"What do you mean?"

Vegeta powered up, emanating a field of energy that cautioned Kakarot he should back away a few feet in the air. With his teeth bared, Vegeta huffed at his sparring partner with the rage of a bull. "I'm trying to fight but you're treating me like a goddamn frisbee! We're not fucking playing fetch here, Kakarot!"

Kakarot's mouth twitched into a more troubled smile. "Hehe. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing funny about this, you dolt. This is the third time today you've tossed me aside instead of blocking me."

"Is that bad?"

Something popped inside of Vegeta's head and he feared he'd suffered an aneurysm. "Yes, it's _bad_! You're acting like we're playing instead of sparring!"

Kakarot scratched the back of his head. "Okay?"

Vegeta ground his teeth together. "I came in here with you to train. Don't think just because we fucked around a little yesterday means I'm no longer taking the time we have in here seriously. A lot can be achieved in three years."

Kakarot nodded, eyebrows furrowed and mouth firm. "Right. Gotcha."

All the fears Vegeta held at bay since the day before bubbled to the forefront of his thoughts and dampened whatever acuity of mind he had left. Yesterday he'd let Kakarot get too close to him. He'd even let the man wash between his legs, his automatic response a rolling purr and a nip to the idiot's neck. Allowing himself to have his hair washed was possibly worst of all. Like a bitch, Vegeta had even asked Kakarot to condition his hair twice just so he could experience those dexterous fingers scratching lines through his scalp again.

No wonder the third class had been throwing him around like a rag doll all morning. Kakarot didn't take him seriously anymore. Who would after Vegeta allowed his body to be treated like a toy?

The Prince swallowed down his rage. He slammed his finger into Kakarot's sternum. "Fight me like a man from now on. Understood?"

"Uh-huh." Kakarot turned his head to the side and muttered under his breath. "But maybe if you didn't move so slow—"

"What the hell did you say?!"

"Nothing!"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. He jogged his memory through the events that took place after their bath the day before. Yesterday they had lunch and dinner as if nothing had happened between them. Which was a huge relief. Until now. What made today any different?

_He had time to think about what we did. Now he thinks I'm some submissive, spineless whelp._

All morning long Vegeta hadn't been able to land one punch, kick, or ki blast on the man. And Kakarot's half-glazed eyes and loose composure exposed how unfocused he was on their fight. Did the ass not even consider Vegeta's feelings worth protecting? The least he could have done was _pretend_ he was interested in sparring. Instead, Kakarot was miles away, perhaps not thinking of Vegeta at all now that he knew the Prince was no longer a force to be reckoned with.

 _Look at him now. He's just a few feet away and he's not even looking at me anymore!_ Kakarot gazed off into the distance with a hardened look in his eye. Vegeta hated how beautiful he looked even when ignoring him.

"What the hell is out there that's so much more interesting than me?"

Kakarot blinked and refocused his scrutiny on Vegeta. "Sorry! I wasn't looking at anything."

 _Fucking prick!_ Charging his fist forward, Vegeta delivered a punch with the force of a ton smack dab into the middle of Kakarot's face. It lacked finesse and was fueled by hate, but it managed to break the bastard's nose. So Vegeta considered it a job well done.

" _Oww_! Dammit!" Kakarot clasped his hands over his face. Red gushed between his fingers and stained his shirt. "What'd you do that for!"

"You would have blocked it had you been paying me any mind at all!"

"But—but that's not fair!"

A searing pain erupted across Vegeta's knuckles. He flicked his wrist several times and wondered what the hell Kakarot's skull was made out of."You think I'm some silly whore now, don't you?"

"What are you even talking about!" Kakarot pulled up the collar of his shirt to wipe his nose. When the blood continued to flow he tilted his head backwards. "Ooowie!"

"You stick one finger up my ass and now I'm just a joke to you. I'm not even worth hitting anymore."

"That's not true, Vegeta!"

"Then why aren't you giving me your all?"

"Because I'm really _horny_ , okay?" Kakarot leaned his head down so it was level again. A thick stream of blood flooded past his mouth to dribble down his chin. "I've been trying to get my mind off of sex all morning!"

Vegeta blinked a few times. "Are you joking?"

"I'm not!" Kakarot sniffled. "I want to spar too, but it's hard to focus when all I can think about is doing you. So I tried to concentrate on other things around us." He pointed to a mountain ridge in the distance. "I started looking over there and thought about how it'd be fun to go camping. But then I thought about having sex out in the open."

Vegeta raised his brow.

"And then," Kakarot said with another loud sniffle, "I thought I could clear my head if I stared at the sun, but that hurt too much. So I started thinking about what to have for lunch. But then I started to wonder what it would be like to have _you_ for lunch—"

"That's enough."

"You can't blame this all on me, Vegeta. You've been flirting with me and stuff—"

Vegeta reared his head back. "Flirting!"

"Yeah!" It was Kakarot's turn to jab his finger into Vegeta's chest. "Since we woke up you've been looking at me all funny. You're even slower than usual today because you keep staring at me—"

"Shut-up!"

"But this whole time you never brought up wanting to have sex again even though we had that long talk yesterday, so I didn't know what to think—"

Vegeta rushed through the air and palmed Kakarot's crotch. He wasn't lying. His dick was so hard that Vegeta was shocked he hadn't noticed the bulge sooner. More impressive was that he stayed hard while suffering a broken nose.

Vegeta released him. "Fine. Let's head back."

* * *

Back in their living room Kakarot pitched an absolute bitch fit while Vegeta held an ice pack to his nose. A damp cloth dyed red with the blood from Kakarot's face sat balled up on the table next to them.

" _Oooow!_ Vegeta, that hurts!" Kakarot pouted while perched on the edge of his chair. Vegeta sat opposite of him with one hand administering the ice in small dabs against his face while the other cradled his chin.

"You're acting like a child."

"Am not!" Kakarot stuck out his tongue and crinkled his nose. That was a mistake. "Oow, I hurt myself!"

"Hush." Vegeta removed the pack and leaned closer to investigate the damage he'd left. An angry bruise marred the bridge of Kakarot's nose, but otherwise he was fine. "The bone hasn't moved out of place. If you sleep with your head elevated for a few days you'll have nothing to worry about."

"B-but what about the senzu beans? Shouldn't I take one of those?"

"We're not wasting our limited supply because you couldn't keep your guard up."

A whine crawled out from between Kakarot's pursed lips. His body pitched forward. Vegeta gasped and caught him before he tumbled onto the floor. He lifted Kakarot's face and stared into his glossy eyes.

"What's the matter with you?"

"It still hurts!"

Vegeta snickered. He scanned his eyes over Kakarot's fine features. The distinctly Saiyan nose and stern lips only inches away elicited a satisfied murmur from him. _Even when you act like a huge baby you're very cute. There's no denying that._ Vegeta planted soft kisses around Kakarot's mouth until his rival's pained whimpers melted away.

"Does it still hurt?" Vegeta asked, moving his mouth against Kakarot's as he spoke.

"Mmm. Not so much anymore."

The mischievous waggle of Kakarot's eyebrows made Vegeta blush. He brushed Kakarot's right cheek with his thumb, fighting back a smile as his rival grinned dumbly back at him. Once more he kissed him, this time on the lips. "How about now? Does it still hurt?"

"A little. But if you keep doing that it might go away."

Vegeta clicked his tongue in mock disapproval. "This isn't very warrior-like of you."

Kakarot squeezed Vegeta's knee. The weight of his hand was soothing. "I don't have to be one all of the time. Neither do you."

Vegeta leaned forward. Soon their tongues danced against each other, only soft groans and saliva breaking past the friction. Vegeta's hands entangled themselves in Kakarot's hair to tug at his roots and drag his head even closer to the Prince's hungry mouth.

"Kakarot," Vegeta sighed, momentarily breaking the heat of their make out session, "you scare me."

Anticipating another kiss, Kakarot leaned forward and grazed Vegeta's mouth with the tip of his tongue. His eyes widened with worry. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm not going to hurt you." He purred. "I can't say the same about you."

Vegeta stared more intently into Kakarot's face than he ever had before in his life. He grasped the back of his rival's neck. "I don't want you to think of me differently because of whatever special feelings we may have for each other."

Kakarot titled his head to the side. "You have _special_ feelings for me?"

"You know what I mean," Vegeta said in a rush, wanting to climb out of the hole he was digging for himself. "The sex. And the touching. Don't think it means I won't kick your ass at the drop of a hat."

"You made that loud and clear earlier. But I never thought that about you in the first place. And I never will, Vegeta."

"Then don't treat me differently."

Kakarot nodded. "Alright. But how do I know when you want to have sex again?"

"Just ask, stupid. You wouldn't have a broken nose if you'd just told me you wanted to fool around this morning."

Kakarot chewed on his bottom lip. A light blush rose in his cheeks. He stayed silent.

"What's wrong now?"

"I was hoping you'd ask _me_ this time around. I wanted to make sure that, you know, all that stuff yesterday wasn't a one time thing."

Vegeta's chest tightened. "Of course it wasn't." He trailed his eyes down Kakarot's bloody shirt. Mesmerized by the beautiful texture it now held, he ran his fingers across the stain until his hand landed in his rival's lap. Why was this man such a pleasure to look at and touch?

"Oh. Okay." Kakarot clasped his hands around Vegeta's. "So do you know when—?"

"Now. I want you right now."

The sash around his rival's waist offered such little resistance to his tugging that Vegeta was surprised it had ever stayed tied at all. In seconds Kakarot's boots and pants were shucked away and thrown into a heap on the floor. While crouched on the floor, Vegeta pried Kakarot's muscular thighs wide open so he was proudly exposed in a way Vegeta had never witnessed before. Their previous bath time activities hadn't allowed him the pleasure of seeing what his lover looked like up close.

Soft, black hair crowned the erection poking up and against Kakarot's abdomen. A curious hum broke through the larger Saiyan's lips. He tapped his left foot. His nerves were getting to him. Amused, Vegeta splayed his fingers and ran them up the length of Kakarot's thigh until they grazed over his balls to settle at the base of his cock.

"W—what…um. What're you going to do down there?" Kakarot asked.

The tremble in his words saved Vegeta the trouble of glancing up at his face to read his expression. "Calm down, Kakarot," he cooed. "This will feel good."

Vegeta licked his lips. His rival was long and thick. His hand couldn't resist gently tugging at Kakarot's sac; predictably his rival's cock twitched at the sensation.

Vegeta felt a hand pet his hair. "I like that, 'Geta."

"Do you?" As badly as Vegeta wanted to fill his mouth with Kakarot's hardness, his thoughts kept tugging him away from the sex to pay closer attention to the supple skin he had the privilege to touch. Curious, he ran a few fingers over a small, flat mole on the inside of Kakarot's knee.

It looked strange. There was nothing inherently off about the beauty mark itself, except the fact Kakarot possessed such a mark period. Vegeta could have gone his entire life never knowing about such a useless thing on his rival's body. But for some reason it held more importance than knowing any of Kakarot's weaknesses in battle. He blessed it with a kiss.

There were stretch marks, too. Very faint ones that were beige tick marks on the white expanse of both his inner thighs. Kakarot probably didn't even know they existed.

A frightening feeling much like drowning shook Vegeta out of his reverie. He didn't want to dwell on the implications of ignoring a throbbing cock because he thought the other parts of Kakarot were pretty.

Sighing, Vegeta tested the taste of Kakarot's head. A small pool of salt clung to the tip of his tongue. He spread the clear liquid around, his tongue dipping into Kakarot's slit momentarily, then trailing downward to coat his foreskin with spit.

"You're gonna suck it?" Kakarot breathed.

Looking up for the first time since he'd started, Vegeta smirked. "Uh-huh," he drawled, hoping Kakarot caught the accent. He lolled his tongue in circles around Kakarot's head, then dropped lower to engulf the full length into his mouth.

"Fuck," Kakarot groaned. Immediately, strong hands grasped onto the back of Vegeta's hair. "This feels—hmm—"

Vegeta spoke nonsense into his rival's dick, purposely vibrating the shaft as he bobbed his head up and down. He'd never sucked a cock in his life, but he'd been a test subject far too many times to get it wrong when finally being on the giving end. The straining of Kakarot's thigh muscles around both sides of Vegeta's head paired with the musky scent of the crotch he was diving in and out of filled him with such pleasure that he felt lightheaded. Here he was, sucking off his lifetime rival like his life depended on it, not giving a single fuck how loud he slurped or how drool dripped down his chin.

Kakarot bucked his hips up from the chair. Cum filled Vegeta's mouth and they both moaned. Vegeta tried his best to dredge up an iota of guilt from sucking down Kakarot's jizz. He couldn't. Kakarot tasted too good to regret swallowing his cum. He waited until Kakarot's legs stopped straining and enjoyed how his rival's moaning died down to a soft pant.

Vegeta rose and wiped his mouth. Kakarot reclined in the chair with a sloppy grin on his face. "Wow. That was a—?"

"Blow job."

"You're really good at that."

Vegeta grunted. "Alright."

Kakarot pulled Vegeta up off the floor into his lap. Like the day before, he nuzzled his head into the Prince's chest. Vegeta wrapped his arms around Kakarot and rested his chin on the bed of soft hair below him.

He grumbled. "I like you too, Kakarot. A lot."

"What do you mean?"

Vegeta's pulse quickened. "Before—um, you've said before that you like me a lot. I feel the same way." The words came out of his mouth stupid and clumsy. He regretted saying them at all.

"Oh! I'm glad." Kakarot bumped his head against Vegeta's chin. "Hey, can I try that blowing thing on you later? When my face doesn't hurt as much?"

Grateful for the change of subject, Vegeta nodded. "Sure. As long as you don't bite me down there."

"I promise I won't."

While straddling Kakarot's lap in silence, Vegeta had the time to think. Was cuddling going to become a normal thing with them? Next thing Vegeta knew, Kakarot would want to sleep together in the same bed like a couple. That would be taking it too far. _Maybe I_ should _limit how often we do this so he doesn't get the wrong idea._ "By the way, we're not having sex three times a day. I like it, but training's more important."

"Hehe." Kakarot rubbed Vegeta's back. "I was exaggerating when I said that."

"Good."

* * *

 

Kakarot was not exaggerating.

"Fuck! _Yes_!" Vegeta was slightly bent over in the shower with Kakarot's strong hand fisting his length and two fingers up his ass. His right foot was planted on the rim of the tub and his left hand strangled the shower head as water sprayed over them both. Behind him Kakarot fingered him so hard that the smacking of knuckles against his ass drowned out even the screaming of the faucet.

For the second time that day the taste of cum lingered in Vegeta's mouth. After having a real spar and dinner, Vegeta had sucked Kakarot's cock again. He couldn't resist. But Kakarot had made a real mess and decided a shower before bed was the next logical course of action.

Vegeta had no excuse for getting fucked up the ass again. He just enjoyed the hell out of it. He tossed his head back and groaned long and loud. "Haa—fuck Kakarot, you're going to make me come!"

"Yeah, I wanna see that, 'Geta," Kakarot panted into his ear. He rubbed up against the Prince from behind in time with his thrusting hand.

The pleasure swelled inside of Vegeta and he rose on the ball of his left foot. He whimpered, no longer caring how much of a moaning bitch he came off as. With his free hand he reached backwards and grabbed behind Kakarot's neck as a swoon came over him. The wetness everywhere made him slip forward, but his rival held them steady.

The stroking inside and outside of him was too good; tears welled in his eyes and he sobbed. "Ooh," he gasped, his voice at a pitch he'd never heard before. Kakarot's relentless fingers brushed against his prostate a final time and he wailed.

Fangs sank into his neck, quickly followed by a hot tongue lapping at the dents in his skin. "God Vegeta, you feel so good!"

Through his barely open eyes Vegeta watched his own cum spurt out from Kakarot's clenched fingers and spray the wall of the tub. He dropped his head downward, moaning gibberish, and allowed his lover to pull him into an embrace.

Kakarot kissed him a dozen times. Groans, laughs, and sighs filled the air. The shower steam made it hard for Vegeta to catch his breath. The man holding him up might as well have twirled him around a thousand times judging by how the world now spun around him.

"Vegeta," Kakarot said, "Did ya know you're beautiful?"

The question didn't make a lick of sense in Vegeta's sex-addled brain. In response he nodded.

They rinsed off. Vegeta was sure soap was involved, but he didn't remember much more than that. Had Kakarot bathed him again?

Minutes later he was wrapped in a fluffy towel while sitting beside Kakarot on a bench in the corner of the bathroom.

A light kiss touched his forehead. "Hey Vegeta. Would you want to go camping with me?"

"Whatever. Sure." Vegeta closed his eyes and leaned against Kakarot's broad shoulder.

"Really? That would be awesome! I've been curious about that forest. And we could go hunting, too. The fruit I ate yesterday tasted better than the food we have here. I bet the game does too!"

"Sounds fine to me."

Kakarot bounced on the bench. "Can we do it…tomorrow?"

Vegeta struggled to keep his eyes open. He lay down on his side and rested his head in Kakarot's lap. "Uh-huh."

"Awesome! I love y—your, uh, enthusiasm!"

Vegeta tuned out Kakarot's annoying babbling until he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's taken two months to update this. Thank you Ash for being my beta reader!

"Kakarot," Vegeta groaned aloud in the darkness of his canopy bed, "I need you."

The throbbing hardness between his legs fought against the fabric of his underwear. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but his racing heart successfully tore him away from the respite his dreams offered him.

Sweat glued him to his bedsheets. He lifted his right arm. The sheets clung to his elbow before peeling away from his skin with a sickening crunch. He didn't need to touch himself to know he'd betrayed himself during the night, but he did so anyway: lightly, he grazed his fingers across his crotch and felt moisture.

 _I already came once and I_ _'m_ still _hard._ Desperate to find his rival, he raked his fingers against the curtains around his bed; the cloth tore easily in his hands and white light seeped through every hole he made. As he tumbled forward, bedsheets clung to his waist and ensnared him during his slow descent to the floor. Once he oriented himself, he crawled toward the kitchen with his sheets trailing behind like the train on a gown.

Kakarot's musky scent invaded his nostrils. He blinked and his vision cleared: his rival stood only a few feet away with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay, Vegeta?" Eying him as more of a curiosity than a comrade, Kakarot stared down at Vegeta while chewing on the piece of toast in his hand. "You're acting funny."

Vegeta ripped away all of the cloth imprisoning him, including his own underwear. Finally free of all constraint, his dick swung freely between his legs.

Kakarot's eyes darted across the Prince's naked body. Without breaking eye contact he set his toast down on the kitchen counter. "Whatcha doin', Vegeta?"

A primal urge waged war against the rational part of Vegeta's brain: he wanted to growl and hiss at Kakarot, but he'd be damned if he had an inkling as to why. He barked, the sound loud and sharp as it pierced the air around them. Even from his position on the floor Vegeta could see Kakarot's eyes dilate as if he were filled with sudden anxiety from understanding.

Taking advantage of his rival's distraction, Vegeta sized Kakarot up. The fool wore only a pair of boxer shorts. In one fluid movement, he slid the shorts down to Kakarot's ankles and buried his face in the exposed crotch awaiting him.

"Hey!" Kakarot combed his fingers through Vegeta's hair and tugged weakly in protest. The Prince licked up and down his shaft with lazy laps, culling a content purr from his victim. "Ah, Vegeta—why are you so horny all of a sudden?"

The pleasure coursing through Vegeta's body nearly made him seize up in shock. He couldn't begin answering Kakarot's question, but he knew the only way to alleviate himself. "I need you to fuck me," he said in a half-whisper, sliding his mouth down Kakarot's hardening dick to his balls.

Kakarot teased his fingertips across Vegeta's scalp. "Do you mean in your butt?"

 _Why does he have to be so childish?_ Suckling on Kakarot's right ball gave Vegeta his intended effect: his rival purred again. With half-lidded eyes he looked up. "Yes, Kakarot. I need you to fuck me in the ass."

Kakarot grunted in a mixture of frustration and excitement. "Okay! Let's do it!"

"Be patient." It hurt Vegeta to say the words, but even in his lustful haze he knew better than to get fucked raw by the strongest man on the planet.

Kakarot whimpered in protest as Vegeta licked slow circles around his weeping head. While the Prince gradually sucked his rival's full length in his mouth, his hands gently stroked the skin across Kakarot's balls until they quivered and tightened under his touch. The idea of the huge cock in his mouth filling another part of his body forced Vegeta to shut his eyes and ruminate in silence. If Kakarot fucked half as well as he fought, Vegeta was in for a world of bliss. And for whatever reason, any misgivings he held about the idea were nowhere to be found. Even residual guilt about his cheating had been scrubbed from his conscious.

Hungrier than he'd ever been for food, he immediately put his mouth to work. While he considered his enthused blow job to be prep work, Vegeta could easily suck Kakarot off several times a day and be a happy man. Something about the combination of soft and hardness in his mouth drove him off the precipice of sanity and toward a heaven he'd only recently become acquainted with. Still bobbing his head up and down, he spread his legs while on all fours and arched his back so Kakarot could see how much he enjoyed himself in the act.

"You look hot like that, 'Geta," Kakarot hissed. All of his previous gentleness was gone. He grasped Vegeta's skull between his hands and thrust forward into the hot mouth around him; Vegeta gurgled and saliva oozed past his bottom lip. Kakarot increased his pace and grunted a few times before speaking again. "Do you like how I taste?"

Vegeta nodded as much as he could in Kakarot's vice grip.

"Good."

All of the wondrous salt and wetness in Vegeta's mouth was taken away from him. Kakarot easily pulled him away from his dick and turned him around on the floor. Now it was the Prince's turn to whimper as his rival pushed his head down to the ground so his ass rose in the air like an offering.

"Please," Vegeta moaned, wagging his hips in the air.

A burning sensation rose between his thighs and he groaned in relief—but after a few seconds of adjustment he realized Kakarot was only fingering his ass.

"'Geta," he panted, "this is gonna hurt if I don't use something better than spit."

Vegeta clawed his nails against the ground. He'd be dead by the time Kakarot found anything even resembling lube in the time chamber. "Just fuck me already!"

Kakarot squeezed both of his buttocks, sending pleasant tendrils of pain across Vegeta's lower back and thighs. "Would it be weird if I licked you?"

"N-no!"

Kakarot slid his tongue up and down Vegeta's crack. Mewling in appreciation, Vegeta spread his legs even further apart and took pride in the fact Kakarot didn't have to ease his way into eating ass. For someone so naive about sex, he sure was eager to do any dirty thing imaginable with Vegeta.

A rough, but warm hand stroked Vegeta's dick in time with Kakarot's licks. The sensation was too perfect and addicting, so Vegeta rocked his hips back against his rival to deepen the touch. Once Kakarot's tongue breached his entrance and slipped inside of him, Vegeta withdrew a sharp breath of air. Behind him Kakarot mumbled something incoherent between his ass cheeks—something having to do with how Vegeta tasted—then he stroked Vegeta even harder in his hand.

Every muscle in the Prince's body tightened as he came on the floor. Kakarot's warm hands moved to massage the back of his thighs and his tongue did likewise to his hole, heightening the pleasure of his orgasm until he was left a quivering mess. In his vulnerable position he wondered if Kakarot admired all of the flaws and perfections of his body as Vegeta had done to him the day before. No one else in Vegeta's life had seen him bent over and splayed out like this.

A pathetic mewl passed through Kakarot's lips. "Fuck, Vegeta. I'm sorry!"

Still in a daze, Vegeta lazily glanced over shoulder. The words his rival spoke had a slow effect on him. "What's the matter?"

"I already, um…"

Confused, Vegeta rose and turned around to get a closer look at what the problem was. Come painted the inside of Kakarot's legs and the floor beneath him.

Kakarot licked his lips. He crossed his legs and made himself comfortable on the floor. He laughed with a nervous titter. "Are you mad at me now?"

Tightness constricted Vegeta's chest. Was he upset? Or disappointed? No…it went beyond that. Now that he'd finally come, his sanity was slowly returning to him. Had he seriously crawled up to Kakarot like a starving animal and begged for sex?

Kakarot scratched the back of his head. They stared at each other for a few moments. Kakarot blushed and rubbed Vegeta's knee to comfort him. "I'm sorry, 'Geta!"

Ashamed, Vegeta drew his knees to his chest and gave Kakarot a pleading look. But what he wanted his rival to do, he wasn't sure. It wasn't like Kakarot could absolve him of his humiliation.

"Umm." Kakarot smiled, but his eyebrows furrowed with hesitation. Even he knew Vegeta's silence was a bad sign of things to come. "If I ate more breakfast I could, you know..." He vaguely gestured at his crotch. "I'll have more energy again. Then I can stick it in your butt."

Horrified at Kakarot's awkward phrasing, Vegeta scrunched up his nose. "Don't worry about it."

Kakarot frowned. "I'll eat fast, I promise!"

"I don't care what you do." Mustering up the dignity he did have left, Vegeta crawled up from the floor and beelined for the bathroom.

Kakarot caught up to Vegeta and hobbled beside him with boxer shorts still around his ankles. "You don't care? What do you mean?"

"Will you pull your pants up while we're talking?"

"But you're not even wearing any pants."

Vegeta hissed. "Don't get smart with me!"

"I didn't say anything smart!" Kakarot grinned. "By the way, I really liked that thing you did earlier."

"What thing?" Vegeta asked. He was far too embarrassed to tell Kakarot to fuck off.

"When you were crawling across the floor all horny like you wanted me real bad. It was sexy."

Vegeta wanted to deny he ever did such a thing. Instead, he yanked the bathroom door open and rushed inside. "I need to brush my teeth."

"C'mon Vegeta, please don't be mad at me!" Kakarot shoved his arm through the door before Vegeta could slam it shut. He winced at the pain. "We can try again in a few minutes, I promise!"

"No!" Vegeta shoved the door harder against Kakarot's outstretched arm. "I'm not upset about that!"

"Then what did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong!"

"Then why are you acting so weird?"

"It's hard to explain!" Vegeta shoved Kakarot's invading arm back through the door and successfully got it to shut.

"Vegeeeta," Kakarot whined from the other side of the door, "please tell me what to do to make you not be mad at me anymore."

A tinge of pity convinced Vegeta to crack the door open a fraction of an inch. Kakarot's sad eyes peered back at him. He sighed. "What I did earlier was a mistake, alright? I don't want your dick up my ass."

"You don't?" Kakarot pressed his face even closer against the crack in the door. "Why not?"

Every reason Vegeta could think of to _not_ ride Kakarot's dick into the sunset failed his personal, gay litmus test. He enjoyed getting fingered by Kakarot immensely, so it wasn't as if he disliked anal play. He wasn't such a pussy that he was afraid to take all of Kakarot's cock, either. And yesterday Kakarot proved he didn't think any less of Vegeta for enjoying the sex they had.

_So why am I so upset?_

Nervous, Vegeta looked away from Kakarot's doe eyes and focused on a random tile on the bathroom floor. "The way you make me feel scares me, Kakarot."

"Scared?" Kakarot echoed. "How?"

"A man has never made me feel this way before."

Kakarot fell silent for a few seconds. He coughed. "How do I make you feel?"

Vegeta's cheeks burned. "I don't want to get into it right now."

"Okay." Kakarot's voice lowered. "I think I know how you feel."

"How could you possibly know?"

"I don't tell you everything I feel, either!"

Vegeta hadn't expected that response. He'd always assumed Kakarot was an open book. Until recently. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"You're always so paranoid, 'Geta." Kakarot pressed his nose through the crack and Vegeta almost laughed at how ridiculous he looked. "I'm just trying to say it's okay if you're confused about something. You don't have to feel bad about it."

As vague as the advice was, Vegeta took it and immediately felt at ease he wouldn't be badgered any longer. "Thank you."

"Do you still want to go camping with me?"

"Of course." Vegeta winced at how eager he sounded. "I mean, yes."

"Yay!" Kakarot pulled away from the door. "Don't worry, I'll get everything packed for us both."

"Don't go rifling through my belongings."

"Whatever. I'll clean up the mess you made all over the floor too." He sped away from the door.

Relief washed over Vegeta. Hopefully their little camping trip would put his mind at ease.

* * *

After they both bathed (separately, at Vegeta's insistence) and ate breakfast, the duo left their home to trek the path that lead deep into the forest.

The warmth of the sun on their backs combined with the gentle breeze rushing through the trees filled Vegeta with a rare tranquility. He was grateful the world around them appeared to be normal. There were no more birds flying into hearts, or animals randomly fucking each other in plain view. Kakarot walked beside him while utterly silent, his eyes busy drinking in the beauty of the forest. Vegeta didn't believe in benevolent gods, but he nevertheless gave thanks to whichever one made Kakarot shut up for so long.

Except…why _was_ Kakarot so quiet? Beside him, the grinning idiot carried a giant backpack he'd stuffed with supplies earlier. He'd forgone his gi for an orange and black leather jacket that suited his frame nicely. His cargo pants also clung to him in all the right places…

Welcome for any sort of reprieve from the gay thoughts that assaulted him, Vegeta broke the silence. "What are you thinking about, Kakarot?"

"Sex."

Vegeta blinked. "Excuse me?"

Kakarot stuttered. "I meant to say the…birds. And the trees. It's really pretty out here, right? And hot. It's really, really hot."

"I don't think it's hot out here at all."

Kakarot gulped. "Okay."

Vegeta rubbed his temples. " _You_ _'re_ the one who wanted to go camping. If you want to go back—"

"No, that's not what I meant either." Flustered, Kakarot poked his index fingers together. The silence between them lengthened. "I mean, I'm just a little embarrassed."

"About what?" Vegeta knew he was blushing now, and he hated himself for it.

"That I came so fast earlier." Kakarot exhaled and gave Vegeta a pleading look. "I don't want you thinking I'm a minute man or something."

"What the hell is a 'minute man'?"

"You know, a guy who can only last a minute long."

Vegeta laughed. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm not like that!" Kakarot cracked his knuckles together, then rolled his shoulders. "I can last a really long time."

"Are you trying to come off as tough right now?"

"No!" Kakarot poked out his bottom lip. "It's just—you're really good at those blowie jobs and I'm not used to that kind of stimulation—"

"What the fuck's a 'blowie job'?"

"Let me finish, Vegeta!"

Again, Vegeta laughed. "Alright. Finish what you were going to say."

"I was saying I'm not used to being touched like that. You're really good at it. That's why I came so fast both times."

"I never saw that as a problem, Kakarot." If Vegeta could roll his eyes any harder, he'd be staring at the inside of his head. "And I never knew you were so sensitive about… _impotence._ "

"I don't know what that word means, but it sounds rude!"

Something about the change of pitch in Kakarot's voice soothed him. His rival was very cute when upset. Vegeta grabbed Kakarot's hand. "I liked you better when you were quiet."

Confused by the gesture, Kakarot stuck out his tongue while simultaneously lacing his fingers together with Vegeta's. "I'll only be quiet because you're being nice now."

"Whatever." Kakarot's palm was heavy and warm in his own. "Just shut-up and enjoy the scenery."

Basking in the serenity washing over him, Vegeta closed his eyes. Maybe this camping thing isn't so bad after all. He had no idea when they'd stop walking and set up their tents. Probably whenever nighttime came. It wouldn't be so bad spending a day next to Kakarot, even if they did have to hold hands.

"Vegeta? Did you hear something?"

"No. Why?"

A wet tongue lapped against Vegeta's ear. He screamed, and leapt a good ten feet ahead of them in surprise. He wiped the side of his head with the back of his sleeve. "What the fuck, Kakarot!"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Vegeta spun around and glared at Kakarot. "You fucking _licked_ me!"

Kakarot tilted his head to the side. "I did? I don't remember doing that."

 _Pull yourself together._ Vegeta straightened his back, glad no one else had witnessed his outburst. The true perpetrator of the crime was a young doe standing a few feet behind Kakarot. Crowded around the bottom of its slender legs sat several rabbits and squirrels, all staring their huge black eyes into Vegeta's soul.

He rubbed his face. _So much for the serenity._ "What the hell are those creatures doing here?"

"Huh?" Kakarot peered over his shoulder. The delighted squeak that came from his mouth filled Vegeta with despair. This was going to be a long day. "Vegeta, look at all of the animals!"

"I don't want to."

"They look so cute!" Kakarot turned toward the doe and gently pet its head. It leaned its entire body against the idiot's chest and rubbed its head against him like a cat. Kakarot giggled. "Aww, this one likes me!"

"It molested me," Vegeta said in a rush, ready to continue their hike and abandon the animals.

The doe licked its long tongue against Kakarot's chin. He laughed harder. "Hehe. Why do you think they're following us?"

"I have no idea. But if we run away we'll probably lose them." As if they understood Vegeta's words, all of the rabbits hopped over to Vegeta and trapped him in a circle.

"Aww. They want to play with you, Vegeta."

"I'd rather eat them."

One of the rabbits clamored up the side of Vegeta's boot and nipped at the back of his knee.

"You little fuck! That hurt!" Growling, he plucked the creature from his body and dropped it back onto the forest path. "Kakarot!"

"What?" Cooing, Kakarot pet the doe's head again. "What's wrong?"

"I want to leave!"

"But I want to play with them. Don't you think they seem nice?"

"Not at all. They're creepy."

"But—"

"Let's leave. _Now._ " Carefully, Vegeta stepped over the circle of rabbits and jogged farther down the forest path.

Kakarot abandoned his animal friends and followed Vegeta's lead. "W-wait for me!"

Still paranoid, Vegeta looked over his shoulder. Several yards behind them the animals galloped toward them, the doe leading the pack. "Shit!"

"If you're really afraid of them—"

"I'm not afraid! It's just weird, is all!"

Perplexed by Vegeta's behavior, Kakarot shrugged. "Okay…If you want to get away from them we could probably hide behind those trees over there."

Vegeta scanned the area. Farther west into the forest, and away from the worn path below them, stood an oak tree with a knothole big enough to hold two Saiyans. Vegeta figured the animals would be too dumb to go searching for them once they were out of view.

"…Or we could fly away. Or we could just outrun them on the path," Kakarot continued. "Or we could—"

"Just shut your mouth and follow me." Vegeta trudged away from the path until he was knee-deep in a thick patch of yellow flowers. Once he reached the oak he stuffed his rival through the hole, then crammed himself into the small space left for him.

"I never knew you liked playing around so much, Vegeta!"

"Be quiet!" Staying deathly still, Vegeta kept his eyes trained on the empty forest trail. A few minutes later the animals that pursued them walked into view. The animal parade slowed to a crawl: the squirrels squeaked loudly as if confused, and the rabbits quickly dispersed in all directions. The doe sniffed the air, grunted, then barreled farther down the path with his head extended as if it intended to batter the first obstacle it encountered.

"Whoa. That thing looked mad," Kakarot breathed into Vegeta's ear, being much too close for comfort.

Vegeta shimmied outside of the knothole. A strange scent assaulted his nose. He looked down and saw he'd landed right on top of a large flower, now dead and crushed beneath his boot. Whatever smell it emitted made him feel…

"This spot is nice," Kakarot said aloud. He tossed his camping bag across the ground. "We should rest here."

Vegeta's natural inclination to disagree almost made him yell at Kakarot for even suggesting they stop. But something about the smell around them put him at ease. The point of their trip was to relax, right? Or at least that's what he'd assumed the whole time. "Fine by me," he muttered as he fell backwards on his ass into the flowers.

How long had they been hiking anyway? A few hours? Vegeta watched Kakarot pull his boots off and toss them over his shoulder. "Why are you taking your clothes off?"

"I was just taking my shoes off."

"Oh. I see."

Kakarot sat down and wiggled his toes through the soft earth below them. "Do you ever wonder why the forest is so perfect?"

Without thinking much of it, Vegeta slid the top of his armor above his head and tossed it aside. Kakarot was right when he said it was hot earlier. Unsatisfied with only being shirtless, he removed his boots too. "I don't think it's perfect at all."

Kakarot copied Vegeta and slid off his jacket and shirt. "What's wrong with it?"

"Too many animals trying to fuck each other. Or follow us. It's weird." His hands gained a mind of their own, and soon he was unbuckling Kakarot's pants for him.

"I like the animals."

"That's because you might as well be a wild animal yourself."

In wordless understanding, Kakarot lifted his hips up from the ground and allowed Vegeta to tug off his pants and underwear. Vegeta marveled at how easily Kakarot ended up naked in the few minutes they'd spent in the flower patch.

Eyes wide and innocent, Kakarot clambered forward and pushed Vegeta backwards until ended on his back. "My nose doesn't hurt that much anymore."

Vegeta bit his lip. "I forgot about it. I'm sorry."

Kakarot pulled away the lower part of Vegeta's armor until he, too, lay naked on the ground. Enjoying the soft touch of petals against his bare skin, Vegeta stretched all of his limbs across the ground and purred. Months ago while training under Beerus, Kakarot had told Vegeta he spent most of his youth roaming the forest while naked. At the time Vegeta turned his nose up at him—but now that it was the second time he was completely nude out in the open, he realized how much he'd underestimated how freeing it would be.

Above him, Kakarot narrowed his eyes. A warmth touched the inside of Vegeta's thigh and he gasped. Kakarot caressed the skin there, alternating between using the flat of his palm and the tips of his fingers. "You look really good, Vegeta."

Not one to miss the opportunity to have his ego stroked, Vegeta spread his thighs wider to welcome Kakarot's touch and smirked up at him. "How so?"

Kakarot drew a line across Vegeta's flesh until he reached the crevice where his thigh and crotch met. "Your body's perfect."

"So is yours."

The look in Kakarot's eyes wasn't his own—or at least it was a look Vegeta wasn't familiar with. He climbed on top of Vegeta and sat so his hardness brushed against Vegeta's. "I want to ride you, 'Geta."

"I'm not going to stop you."

Kakarot's mouth parted. "What's your favorite position?"

"Doggy style," Vegeta said automatically.

"Do you want to fuck me like that?" Kakarot rolled his hips against him, a low purr of his own building in his chest. "While I'm on my hands and knees?"

Vegeta nodded fervently. "I want to see you spread open like I was this morning."

Kakarot leaned down and kissed him. "Vegeta, do you think I'm in love with you?"

"Yes."

Kakarot drew him into another deep kiss. The warm tongue invading every inch of his mouth made him moan out loud. Somehow, Kakarot knew the perfect way to kiss him that left his head swimming every time.

"Do you love me back, Vegeta?"

"I think so."

"What should we do about it?"

Vegeta looked up into the sky. "I want you to sit on my face."

The slide of Kakarot's warm skin as he adjusted himself sent a shiver down Vegeta's spine. Soon, Kakarot sat backwards with his legs on either side of Vegeta's chest and his rear near his face. Eager to taste him, Vegeta pulled backwards on Kakarot's hips until a familiar scent made his mouth water. Back here Kakarot was soft and vulnerable. Without a moment's hesitation, Vegeta licked against the rosebud presented to him until Kakarot's thighs quivered against him.

"Vegeta," Kakarot whispered, spurring him on, "please don't stop."

Vegeta licked a slow circled around Kakarot's hole, earning himself a loud moan from his rival. He took Kakarot's ass between his fingers and massaged the muscle; in his hands Kakarot was firm but pliant, just as contradictory as his temperament.

"Oh, Vegeta, you feel so—" All of Kakarot's muscles tensed as he swallowed his words.

 _Is he about to come?_ Perhaps Kakarot really was a "minute man." But if that was the case, Vegeta didn't mind. He continued to lavish Kakarot with his tongue.

"Vegeta. Uh…do you feel like we're being watched?"

It was the Prince's turn to freeze. He pulled his mouth away from Kakarot's perfect ass and leaned his head back. Upside-down he saw all of the animals from earlier staring back at him from the forest path.

"What the _fuck_?!" The fog over his mind immediately lifted. He shoved Kakarot to the side and immediately covered his naked crotch. "Get the fuck out of here, you stupid animals!"

Several squirrels squeaked back at him in response.

"Are they laughing at us?" Kakarot asked. He scrambled across the ground to get his clothes back on.

"They're _spying_ on us. I knew they were up to no good!" Vegeta picked up one of his boots and chucked it at the doe. It jumped out of the way right as the boot collided with the ground and drilled dozens of feet below the surface. A spray of dirt filled the air and all of the animals scattered.

"Fucking hell!" Vegeta crawled across the ground while gathering all of his clothes. "I blame you for this, Kakarot!"

"What did I do?" Kakarot put his shirt on backwards and quickly zipped his jacket back on. "I didn't ask them to come back!"

"I don't know—this whole goddamn place is trying to get us to fuck!" Once his pants were back one, Vegeta hobbled on one leg to tug on his boot, but he fell backwards onto the ground. " _Shit!_ "

Fully clothed, Kakarot pulled his camping pack back over his shoulders and avoided Vegeta's gaze. "Um, should we talk about earlier?"

"What do you mean?" Vegeta's armor refused to slide back over his hair, which was now a frazzled mess. He gave up on getting dressed and marched shirtless over to the crater his boot had made in the path. Good thing the stupid animals were gone, or else he would have blasted them straight to hell for getting on his nerves. He fished his boot out from the earth and tipped it over so all of dirt inside of it poured out.

Cautious, Kakarot walked up beside Vegeta with his hands in his pockets. "We said all of that stuff about—"

"The stupid flowers drugged us or something," Vegeta mumbled. He made a big show of sliding his boot back on, which necessitated he avoid looking Kakarot in the eye.

"That's what you think happened?" Kakarot's voice was suddenly hollow.

"Of course." Vegeta stole one look at Kakarot's face. He looked pale. "Don't be like that, Kakarot."

"Like what?"

"All the weird love talk. It didn't mean anything. Don't take it so seriously."

"But—"

"Besides, we're just friends. You said so yourself." Vegeta sniffed, then rose into the air. "You see that mountain ridge over there? I'm curious to know what's behind it. Let's just skip the walking bullshit and fly to the top."

Kakarot grabbed the back of his neck. "That sounds good to me."

"We'll also be less likely to run into any more flower patches."

"Right. We wouldn't want that."

Vegeta kicked off the ground and sped toward the mountain that loomed in the distance. If he flew fast enough and kept Kakarot occupied with mindless chit-chat, maybe he'd have a chance of forgetting everything that happened since the moment he woke up.


	9. Chapter 9

_I don't love Kakarot._

After a few failed attempts, Vegeta managed to pull the top of his armor back over his head. He knew his hair probably looked like shit, but what did it matter? It wasn't like he wanted to look good for Kakarot.

A briny aroma scented the air as he approached the mountaintop. Once he overshot the highest peak and saw what laid before him, he paused in midair.

Kakarot flew to his side. "Why did you sto— _oooh_!"

A vast, sparkling ocean stretched toward the horizon. Similar to a trail of breadcrumbs, a series of connected mountain crags led from the shoreline to several miles out into the middle of the water. The romantic potential the "natural" formation held wasn't lost on Vegeta: if he and Kakarot casually walked along the rock trail until they reached its end, they'd likely finish their journey just in time to watch the sun set over the water.

"This is a load of garbage." Vegeta dropped from the sky and nestled himself between two boulders on the mountain ridge below them. Predictably, Kakarot landed several feet away from him. Akin to a shy schoolboy, he rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands behind his back.

"Vegeta."

"What?" he snapped.

"I don't want to make you keep hanging out with me if you don't want to."

The somber look on Kakarot's face broke Vegeta's heart. Stressed, he wove his fingers through his hair and looked out across the water in hopes a random spark of wisdom would come to him. It wasn't Kakarot's fault they'd been bewitched and spoke words without truth to them.

Or at least he prayed there was no truth to them. "I do want to spend time with you."

"You're not acting like it."

 _I don_ _'t want to talk about this. I won't._ "Why did you say you loved me back there?"

Kakarot glanced away. "I didn't. I asked if you _thought_ I loved you."

Vegeta reclined his head back against the cool surface of the boulder. There was no continuing their trip without addressing the elephant in the room. "Why did you ask me, then?"

"I don't know. Like you said before, it was like we were drugged."

"The other day," Vegeta said slowly, his mouth full of cotton balls, "you told me the only person you could ever love was your wife."

"Nu-uh!" Kakarot pulled his arms away from his back and clenched his fists at his sides. "I never said that about Chi-Chi!"

Hearing Kakarot say his wife's name with such passion made Vegeta instinctively wince. A cloud drifted overhead. "Right. And you called me your best friend."

"You are."

"But now you're in love with me?"

With his eyes still focused on the sky, Vegeta couldn't see Kakarot rustle about in front of him. Going by the sudden snapping of twigs beneath his boots, Kakarot was likely pacing back and forth. "This isn't fair."

"Why don't you tell me the truth?"

"Because if I do you're going to be even more upset with me!"

 _He only cares about protecting my emotions._ Feeling very childish all of a sudden, Vegeta manned up and brought his attention back to Kakarot. He _was_ pacing back and forth. The weight and momentum of the pack he carried swayed him from side to side as well, and Vegeta felt a pang of affection. "I can handle it. Just tell me what you meant."

"It's just—you told me all that stuff about what love and romance was. And for a long time I've felt so weird around you. Since yesterday I've been thinking about if you were right and I really _do_ have romantic feelings for you. Like the same feelings I have for Chi-Chi."

 _Why does he have to say her name like that?_ Vegeta folded his arms. "Fine. What's the verdict? Am I as good as the wonderful Chi-Chi?"

"No." Vegeta wasn't sure if it was a conscious decision on Kakarot's part, but he mirrored the Prince's pose by crossing his arms as well. After a few prolonged seconds, he stilled his pacing. "But that doesn't matter because I'm starting to think you're…" He trailed off.

"I'm what?"

"You're the only person I've ever had these weird feelings toward. And if you say they're romantic feelings, then, ah…" Kakarot lowered his head and kicked a pebble across the ground. "I think that means you're the first person I've ever really been in love with?"

The strange lilt Kakarot spoke in at the end of his sentence suggested the veracity of his love was up for debate. Vegeta wrung his hands together. "Are you telling me you're not in love with your wife?"

"I do love her. But she doesn't make me feel like I'm over the moon like you do."

Vegeta scoffed. "That's your dick talking. What you feel for me is lust."

"You said you think you love me too."

Vegeta covered his face. "Why do you want to make things more complicated between us?"

"I don't!" Kakarot pouted. "I don't understand you. If we love each other, why does that piss you off so much?"

"Because I know for a fact you're not in love with me. Only Bulma could achieve that."

Completely lost, Kakarot raised a brow. "Huh?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not a very lovable person," Vegeta stated as fact. "By some fluke, Bulma actually fell for me. But the idea that someone like _you_ would love me is complete nonsense."

"Why?"

"Because you're _you!_ " Vegeta rose from the safety of his boulder and approached Kakarot with a bite in his voice. After a few steps forward he stood inches away from Kakarot's face. "You're a goody two-shoes. Far too kind for your own good. You're soft and gooey on the inside, you're so stupid that it's endearing, and your unwavering compassion has been your downfall more than once. You're also _straight_ ," he said, shoving hard against Kakarot's shoulders for emphasis.

Kakarot stumbled backwards, bowled over by both Vegeta's touch and words. "I am?"

"Yes. You married your wife and had children without even second-guessing yourself. You don't know what it's like to be me."

"What're you talking about?"

"I'm gay, Kakarot. I like sucking dick. Thanks to you, I think about it all of the time now."

Kakarot's eyes widened. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"Oh, be quiet!" Tense, Vegeta combed his fingers through his hair again from front to back. It was getting harder for him to speak clearly. "You don't know how it feels to be—"

"Gay?"

"Yes. And you don't know what it's like to try and block it out because you have a wife and child that deserve more attention than all of the doubts in your mind."

Kakarot scratched the side of his head. "You're saying you don't like girls?"

 _He always has to make things simpler than they really are._ "Bulma is the only 'girl' I've ever been attracted to."

"Is that weird? Chi-Chi is the only woman I've ever wanted to have—"

Vegeta held up his hand. "I've thought about men before. A lot. But until recently I was fine with pushing it to the back of my mind. Can you say the same about yourself?"

"Huh. No, I can't."

Vegeta regretted outing himself to the object of his affection. To Kakarot and his friends—and in many respects, Bulma as well—Vegeta's initial reluctance toward anything resembling romance and family was due to his misanthropy. Which was true to a certain extent. But if at the same time Bulma had pursued him years ago a _man_ had done so as well, he could say with full confidence which person he would have preferred.

But it never happened. And he learned to love his wife. He figured the strange feeling he'd carried with him since youth was irrelevant. Especially within the sanctuary that a straight marriage offered him.

His rival threated his way of life.

Kakarot placed his hand against Vegeta's cheek. "Are you okay? You shouldn't beat yourself up about it."

"Why not?"

"Because there's nothing wrong with the way you are. I knew that even when I first met you and you tried to kill me."

Weakened by Kakarot's charm, Vegeta leaned into the warmth of his hand and sighed. "Don't do this. Please. Let's just screw and be friends."

"I never said I wanted to stop doing that."

"But if we love each other, at the end of these three years it's going to be hell." _For me especially._

Kakarot tilted his head to the side. "I'm happy when I'm around you. That's all that matters right now. It can't get any more complicated than that." Kakarot lowered his hand. "But if all of this romantic stuff is as bad as you make it out to be, I'll leave you alone and continue my hike."

Vegeta spoke, but all that came out of his mouth was useless sputtering. Kakarot shrugged, spun around, and trotted down the mountain toward the beach. The bounce in his step made Vegeta's stomach sink.

Vegeta figured that it'd take a million years for him to understand Kakarot's simple philosophy in life. The chaotic, divisive thoughts that plagued him about his newly awoken infatuation were completely absent from Kakarot's mind. Somehow, the idiot could love purely and simply.

 _Kakarot doesn_ _'t love me._ Vegeta hopped down the side of the mountain.

 _He just wants to screw around and have fun. Like he told me the other day in the bathtub._ With his every step stray rocks slipped beneath his boots and tumbled downhill.

 _This isn_ _'t fair at all._ He caught up with Kakarot and grabbed his hand.

"Oi, Vegeta! You missed me already?"

"Shut-up." He pecked Kakarot on the cheek.

Kakarot growled affectionately, then leaned down to return the favor. The soft brush of his lips against Vegeta's temple set the Prince's face aflame.

"I like seeing you blush." Kakarot hopped from rock to rock while still holding hands with Vegeta. He ignored the annoyed grunts of his captive that struggled to keep up with him. "You look cute when you turn all red."

"Whatever."

Kakarot leapt down onto another rock and spun around to catch Vegeta before he landed. "I know why you're so grumpy!"

"Oh, really? Why's that?" Vegeta wrapped his arms loosely around Kakarot's neck while suspended in the air.

"You're thirsty. Right?"

Vegeta searched his eyes for understanding. "I may be."

"Good thing I can fix that."

"Can you?"

Kakarot nodded and set Vegeta down. Humming loudly, he reached for the canteen attached to his belt.

A scowl settled on Vegeta's face. "I hate you."

"Don't you want a drink?"

"I don't want water." Vegeta stole the canteen away from him and twisted the cap open. "I should hit you."

"For being nice?"

"For toying with me." Vegeta sucked down the water. As soon as the last drop slid into his mouth he raced down the side of the mountain, leaving Kakarot with a puzzled look on his face.

* * *

As Vegeta predicted, their hike across the crags was suspiciously uneventful. Hundreds of feet below them on either side, the ocean swayed at a steady rhythm, occasionally crashing against the rock and spraying high enough to coat them in a light mist. At one point a flock of birds circled above them and Vegeta wondered if they were just as amorous as the woodland creatures they'd met earlier. Fortunately, the birds lost interest in them and flew back toward the shore after only a few minutes of fueling his paranoia.

A few hours later they stopped to eat the sandwiches Kakarot had packed earlier. Their break was short—Kakarot was eager to see what lay at the end of the rock formation.

Once the sun started to set, fresh anxiety slowed Vegeta's pace. Kakarot responded by holding his hand again. "What's the matter?"

"It's too perfect out here."

"Yeah, it's really nice. But why is that bad?"

"It's strange. I feel like the path we're walking on was tailored just for us."

"Aww. That's so sweet of you to say, Vegeta!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I meant it literally. I get the feeling someone intended for us to come out here."

"Really? It doesn't feel like a trap." Kakarot squinted his eyes and scanned the horizon. "You think someone is going to attack us out here?"

"No. Whatever put this here isn't malicious."

"Then what's the problem?"

"This place is trying to make us fuck, Kakarot. I tried to tell you before, but you didn't listen to me." Vegeta pointed toward the water. "Look at this bullshit. We're going to have a perfect view of the sunset. And by the time we reach the end of this stupid thing it'll be dark. Then we'll have to set up camp under the stars."

Kakarot wiggled his eyebrows. "That kind of stuff turns you on?"

"Shut-up, idiot!" Vegeta socked him hard in the arm, then held his hand again. Kakarot whined, but Vegeta had little sympathy for those who made fun of him. "I don't get off on this cheesy nonsense. I'm not a fucking sap like you are."

"You're blaming me for all of this?"

"It certainly isn't my fault."

"Okay. I'll take the blame for all of the fun we're having."

"You're a real prick sometimes."

Kakarot smiled with all of his teeth. "You too."

Vegeta shoved his weight into Kakarot's shoulder, warning him he wasn't beyond doling out more punishment. "You're prettier with your mouth shut."

"You think I'm pretty?"

"Cut it out!"

"I'm not doing anything. I'm just minding my own business and you keep yelling at me. You must like me a lot."

Vegeta didn't bother unpacking the logic of that statement.

The sun set just as they ran out of ground to traverse. Vegeta was the first to see the "treasure," as it were, that awaited them at the end of their trail: a small cave sat carved out of the steep mountain face that capped the end of the trail. Vegeta dashed forward and inspected the inside of the cave; the space was big enough to house the both of them for the night but small enough to make the intimacy awkward.

Disgusted with whatever force that created the haven for them, Vegeta threw his hands up in defeat. "Fuck this!"

The dying light of the sun forced Kakarot to squint his eyes as he examined the inside of the cave. He ran his hand across the smooth walls and whistled loudly. "This place really _is_ perfect!"

While gnashing his teeth together, Vegeta plopped down onto the soft undergrowth of the cave floor. "It's a literal fuck hole!"

"It's a _what_?" Kakarot slid his camping pack off his shoulders. It fell to the ground with a soft thud. "A fuck _who_?"

"A fuck _hole_. A place specifically made for two Saiyans to fuck in."

Kakarot sifted through the contents in his bag and chuckled. His laugh bounced off the walls of the cave and amplified to an annoying screech that vibrated Vegeta's eardrums. "You're so weird, Vegeta. Is that what you want to do tonight? Have sex?"

Vegeta huffed. "Not if this place forces me to want to do it."

"Ookay." Kakarot folded his arms and stared thoughtfully up at the cave ceiling. "We can do other fun stuff, then. Like make a campfire and hang out."

"Right."

"Do you want to make a fire while I go find us some real food to eat?"

Suspicious, Vegeta narrowed his eyes. _Is that what this place wants us to do? I_ _'m supposed to make a fire while Kakarot goes out to hunt? Then he'll come back all sweaty with a pelt draped around his shoulders and fresh meat under his arm…_

The thought turned Vegeta on far too much. He couldn't allow it to happen. He stood up and dusted off his pants. "I'll get the food."

"Really?" Kakarot smiled. "I'm a bit jealous. I wanted to be the one to go hunting."

"Just stay here. With your clothes on." Vegeta gazed out of the cave toward the ocean. "You like fish. I'll get that for dinner."

"You're gonna swim? All alone?"

"Yes." Vegeta slid his armor off and tossed every piece into Kakarot's lap.

"Are you going to keep your panties on too?"

Vegeta held his breath. _Is that what this place wants me to do? Get naked and then fuck Kakarot?_ He pulled his underwear off and flung it into Kakarot's face. "There. Happy?"

Kakarot pulled the briefs down his face so only his eyes were exposed. He leered up and down Vegeta's body. "Mmhm."

 _How many times has he seen me naked today?_ Kakarot's saucer-like eyes swelled his ego more than he anticipated. He strutted outside of the cave until he was only inches away from a straight drop into the ocean. "I'll see you soon," he yelled.

"I'm counting on it," Kakarot shouted behind him.

He dove forward. Cold air whipped against his face as he barreled toward the water's surface. Hitting the water was much like crashing headfirst into concrete—the world around them wasn't as perfect as he'd anticipated. Despite his pain, he jettisoned gracefully through the water until slowing to a stop dozens of feet below the surface.

 _Shit._ He wasn't as good of a swimmer as Kakarot. He'd forgotten. _How the fuck am I even supposed to see under here in the dark?_ It was a concentrated effort to extend his arms in the freezing water and form a glowing ball of energy between the palms of his hands. The world around him lit up, and immediately a creature thrashed through the water to latch onto his ankle.

The fight was more of an irritation for Vegeta than a struggle for his life. He couldn't even see the damn thing in the water, but he killed it easily. Short on air, he grabbed onto his attacker's fin, or flipper, or whatever the fuck it was, and sped back to the surface.

His lungs filled with air again. While catching his breath, he used the moonlight to get a closer look at his catch. It was a horrible shark cursed with two heads, both wielding a set of teeth that could chomp a normal man in half. He was grateful the thing didn't look too cute, or else Kakarot would pitch a fit about its death.

The flight back to the camp was quick. The warmth of a large bonfire greeted him as he trudged back inside the cave. Spread near the base of the fire sat an array of cooking utensils. He was relieved Kakarot hadn't dicked around in his absence.

"Hey," he grunted. He tossed the shark onto the floor. "Cook this."

Kakarot sat at the far end of the cave with his back turned to the fire. At hearing Vegeta's voice he gasped and looked over his shoulder. "You're back so soon!"

Dripping wet, Vegeta walked closer to Kakarot. He powered up to dry himself off. "What are you doing over there?"

"Nothing!" Kakarot hunched over. The click of a belt buckle echoed in the cave.

"Are you touching yourself?"

"I'm not doing anything!"

Vegeta crept up behind him and peeked over his shoulder. "Pervert. You're putting your dick away. And what's that other thing in your hand?"

"It's nothing!"

Vegeta reached down and clawed at the object in Kakarot's grasp. He snatched it away and held it up in the light. "What the hell? This is my underwear!"

"No, it's not!" Done buckling his pants, Kakarot jumped up from the floor and faced Vegeta with a quivering bottom lip. "I was just—you know—"

"Were you jerking off with my underwear?"

Kakarot crossed his arms. "N-no."

"Liar." Vegeta twirled the briefs in the air around his fingertip with a smirk on his face. "If you weren't doing that, then what were you really up to?"

"I was…smelling them."

Vegeta snickered. "You're disgusting."

"Don't make fun of me!" Kakarot sped over to the shark, done incriminating himself any further. "I was hungry and bored!"

"I was gone for less than twenty minutes."

"Shut-up!"

Hearing Kakarot mouth off at him put an even bigger grin on Vegeta's face. He bent over to put his underwear back on, but decided against it. Instead, he flung the cloth into a dark corner of the cave. Kakarot did miss him after all, and he was in a much kinder mood than earlier. His rival would appreciate a good show.

He kicked Kakarot's half-full camping pack across the floor in front of the fire, then sat down to rest against it. Thankfully it was large enough to cushion his back and head. Feigning boredom, he placed his hands behind his neck and propped up one leg so his thighs were spread open.

Kakarot poked at the dead shark. "Geez. This thing is ugly." He looked over his shoulder. "How did you—" he choked on his words.

"What's the matter?"

"Are you going to spend the rest of the night naked?"

"I might. Does that bother you? Should I cover up?"

"No." Kakarot mumbled something unintelligible under this breath. "Anyway, this thing is really big. You got yourself a real monster. It's going to take me a while to jerk it."

"'Jerk' it? What do you mean?"

"Cook it. It's going to take me a long time to cook it."

"Ah."

"It's really hard, too."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. The, uh, skin. It's really tough." Kakarot turned around and scrambled for a serrated knife on the floor. "Give me an hour to work some magic."

"Don't worry. I know how to entertain myself in your absence."

As much as he enjoyed teasing Kakarot, the man did know how to cook a fish. His hands gutted and sliced up the creature with the experience of having done it hundreds of times. The random pile of stripped bark beside the fire was put to use as well: Kakarot wove the strips into several baskets, which he later filled with giant clumps of shark flesh.

"Didn't you bring a skillet?" Vegeta asked.

"I did. But this is how my Grampa used to do it."

"You're showing off for me."

Kakarot's mouth quirked into a sly grin. He drenched the fish in salt and butter, then shoved the baskets into the fire. The flames licked at the woven bark and fish, leaving Vegeta to wonder if Kakarot was intent on burning their whole meal to a crisp.

Nevertheless, his rival appeared confident in his cooking abilities. He strolled around the room and sat down beside Vegeta with a faraway look on his face. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself."

Kakarot splayed his hand across Vegeta's thigh. "Are you hungry?"

"You know I am."

"It's going to be done soon." Kakarot blew away a tuft of hair drooping down over his brow. "I really am glad you decided to stay with me."

"I didn't want my sparring partner to get hurt all by his lonesome."

Kakarot laughed nervously. He teased his nails across Vegeta's abdomen, eventually letting his fingers dip in and out of his bellybutton. "Do you mind if I play with you?"

Vegeta reclined back further in his position. "What do you mean? With my cock?"

"Yeah."

"Sure."

As soon as Kakarot wrapped his mitt around Vegeta's shaft, a contented purr rumbled through the Prince's chest. Kakarot's touch was slow and exploratory; soon Vegeta's hardness was leaking in his grasp.

Another nervous laugh exploded from Kakarot's mouth. "You're really big."

 _Look who_ _'s talking_. Vegeta exhaled as Kakarot continued to gently stroke both him and his ego. "Do you like that about me?"

Too stupefied to reply, Kakarot settled on nodding dumbly. He swirled his thumb across Vegeta's head and spread the leaking precum around in a circle. "We never finished what we started earlier."

"I don't know what you're referring to."

Kakarot scooted closer to him. Vegeta could feel the warmth emanating from his large body even through his leather jacket. He kissed Vegeta on the mouth all soft at first, before deepening the touch to a french kiss. As he pulled away he caught Vegeta's bottom lip in his teeth and gently tugged on it until it slid free of his grip.

 _Asshole_. Vegeta placed his hand over Kakarot's and forced him to stroke his dick a bit harder. Pleasure coiled in his abdomen, steadily extending past his thighs and up his sides to leave a tingling sensation in their path.

"There's a small bump inside of you," Kakarot breathed. "When I fuck you with my fingers I know that when I rub against it, it makes you feel amazing. I want to know what that's like too."

"That can be— _haa_ —arranged." Kakarot jerked him off in earnest now, and Vegeta could barely keep his hand up with the pace. He didn't anticipate losing control over the situation so quickly. One particularly powerful tug felt so good it unseated him from the ground; he covered his mouth to muffle the thick moan fighting to escape his lips.

"Let me suck on it," Kakarot whispered. He leaned down with his mouth wide open and flicked his tongue against Vegeta's slit.

Vegeta hissed through his gritted teeth. "Fuck."

Entranced, Kakarot sloppily dragged his tongue across the tip of Vegeta's cock. "You taste so good," he slurred as saliva dripped from his mouth. He stilled his jerking to focus on sucking harder on the Prince's leaking mushroom head.

What Vegeta had hoped would be a slow seduction was culminating into a filthy, disgusting sex romp. Kakarot's technique was unpolished but heavenly, and all Vegeta could do to save himself was moan so he didn't lose his mind from stifling himself.

With a loud pop, Kakarot withdrew his wet mouth from Vegeta's dick. "Fuck me," he said. He shrugged his jacket off, and in the middle of pulling off his shirt he nearly ripped it in half. In the firelight Kakarot's eyes were large and dark below his long lashes; they flitted left and right as they searched the Prince's soul for any relief.

Vegeta lunged forward and claimed Kakarot's mouth for himself. The power that took hold of him earlier that morning—the core of his Saiyan instinct—returned in full force. As his tongue explored Kakarot's sweet mouth, he couldn't help but growl.

Large, powerful arms wrapped around his neck and he realized Kakarot was drawing him as close as possible against his bare chest. All of the blood in Vegeta's head concentrated to a more important part of his body; as he fumbled while unbuckling Kakarot's belt his fingers suffered from his stupidity and slid uselessly against the slick metal.

Acrid smoke burned the inside of Vegeta's nose. In the middle of kissing Kakarot, he sneezed.

Anger twisted his lover's face into disgust. "What the hell, Vegeta?"

"The fish," Vegeta muttered. Without looking at the fire he knew their dinner was aflame.

"Aw, son of a bitch!" Kakarot untangled himself from Vegeta's body and attended to the food.

Vegeta's twitching cock was akin to a fallen tree in his lap. The furious red that painted his tip faded, and soon, he was only semi-hard. Any hope to recapture the moment was lost: smoke billowed above the fire and poisoned the air with the smell of ash. Giant, black tufts wafted out of the cave to blot out the sparkling dots in the sky.

Vegeta brought Kakarot's shirt to his nose to use as a filter. The familiar scent of earth and sweat only served to dampen his desire further. He figured it was a good time to put his clothes back on.


	10. Chapter 10

"How's the food, Vegeta?"

"It's fine."

"It turned out pretty okay, huh?"

"Yes. That's what I said. Weren't you listening?"

"I'm glad I didn't ruin it. It's crunchy, but good!"

"That's one way to describe it."

"But if I _had_ ruined it, you'd have to go swimming again and find more food!"

"Thank god everything worked out then."

"Heh. You'd have to get naked again, too."

"I suppose."

"I'm kidding. I wouldn't make you do that again. I'd be happy to go fishing in your place. Then _I'd_ be the naked one. "

"Really."

"Or we could both go fishing. Together. Then we'd both be naked."

"Alright."

"But I guess it doesn't matter since dinner is fine. I just wanted to point out we'd both have to get naked if we needed to swim."

"You've made that abundantly clear, Kakarot."

"We could also go for a dive right now if you want! Just for fun."

"It's nighttime. The water is frigid."

"We don't have to swim for too long! And, um, it looks pretty outside. We could look at the stars."

"While we swim? We can stare at the sky on dry land."

"Yeah, but we wouldn't be naked if we did it that way."

"What's being naked have to do with anything?"

"It's fun being naked. I was naked all of the time when I was a little kid! I was naked when I went fishing, and when I went hunting, and when I slept at night—"

"Kakarot—"

"But I'd wear clothes whenever it got too cold outside. But I really don't think it's _that_ cold right now, so we might as well strip down—"

"What are you trying to say? You want to be naked around me all of the time now?"

"I wasn't trying to say that, Vegeta!"

"Then what _are_ you trying to say?"

"I just want to have fun tonight."

"Being naked."

"Why not? There are a lot of fun things we could do while naked. You were naked earlier and that was a lot of fun. Right?"

"Are you trying to seduce me?"

"I don't know. Is it working?"

"Keep talking and we'll see."

"Heh."

"Get that cocky look off of your face. Besides, it may be a bad idea to fuck. Obviously the time chamber wants us to."

"You're worried because we had a beautiful walk earlier and found this nice, comfy campsite? You're too paranoid."

"At least one of us needs to keep our guard up."

"It's not like we'll both be on our backs at the same time."

"Mm. I guess you're right about that."

"Speaking of—I've been meaning to ask you a question about sex between two guys."

"I'm all ears."

"I'm guessing it feels similar to when I stick my fingers up your butt? But with like, a lot of fingers all at once!"

"I wouldn't know."

"But you do know what it's like when I finger you. Does it feel like a reverse poop?"

"And for a second I thought I was getting hard again."

"Veg _eee_ ta, I gotta know what it's like before I, you know—"

"Get fucked?"

"Yeah."

"You're pretty confident that's going to happen at all."

"I'm an optimistic guy."

"Get your hand off of my leg."

"Pretty please, Vegeta, I really want to do it!"

"If you're going to seduce me, do it right."

"Okay. Um…you look really pretty tonight."

"Ugh."

"And sexy. Pretty sexy!"

"I'm leaving."

"Wait! If you give me five minutes I'll do something really romantic for you. Okay?"

"Fine. Five minutes."

"Close your eyes. No, wait—cover them with your hands!"

"Why the hell do I need to do that?"

"It's going to be a surprise, silly. Just do it."

"Okay. But you better not disappoint me."

"I won't."

* * *

Five minutes was more than enough time for Vegeta overthink the situation and descend into a state of panic.

The dying fire warmed him as he sat on the mossy floor with his hands over his eyes like an idiot. A few yards away outside of the cave he could hear Kakarot making the biggest racket and muttering family-friendly swears in the crisp night air. The familiar sound of an exploding capsule made Vegeta squirm. What the hell was Kakarot up to?

According to Vegeta's internal clock, Kakarot's five minutes were nearly over. Soon Vegeta would have to nut up or shut-up. Literally.

The implications of taking Kakarot's virginity hadn't bothered him until now. _Okay, technically he isn't a virgin. And he wants it bad. But that doesn't change the fact that he's never had as much as a pinkie up his ass before._

Did Kakarot only want to do it because he was curious? Earlier he _had_ asked all of those childish questions about anal penetration that filled Vegeta with doubt. What if the second Vegeta stuck a finger in him he wanted to bail? Or worse, he just sucked it up and sat through the whole experience to placate Vegeta?

It was different when Vegeta was on the receiving end of all of their anal escapades so far. The act turned on him because it felt good and it was fucking filthy. But Kakarot _did_ have the warmest hands he'd ever felt and the gentlest touch in the world. _Oh god, what would my wife think of all of this?_

"Alright! You can open your eyes now!"

 _Fuckshitcock!_ Vegeta splayed his fingers apart. Outside of the cave sat a large tent embroidered with the Capsule Corp logo.

 _Where the hell did he get that from?_ Vegeta counted to ten, put the fire out with a quick ki blast, and walked up to the tent to investigate. Light bled through the canvas exterior and Vegeta could see a Kakarot-shaped silhouette moving about on the inside.

"Do you want to come in, Vegeta?"

Vegeta swallowed the spit in his mouth. "Yes."

"Okay. But you can't join me until you take all of your clothes off and leave them outside."

"Are we going to bed already?"

"No…"

Vegeta parted ways with every piece of his armor. He folded them into a neat bundle that he placed beside the tent. Taking a deep breath, he unzipped the front of the tent and stepped inside.

The first image that greeted him was of Kakarot lying on a large mat with his legs spread apart and his hands behind his head. A fluffy pillow supported his head and several more laid at the foot of the mat; Kakarot must have tossed them there earlier. Vegeta focused on the hard length between his legs, which already dripped clear liquid onto his toned stomach. In that instant, Vegeta's mouth went dry and he forgot how to speak any human language.

"Ve—ge—ta," Kakarot cooed in a sing-song voice, "Will you play with me?"

"I—er, I don't know."

"Huh?" Kakarot rolled over on his side and raised a brow. "What's wrong? Are you nervous?"

Vegeta opened his mouth to say, 'No, of course not, I've never been nervous in my entire goddamn life.' But nothing came out.

"It's okay, 'Geta," Kakarot purred. "C'mon over here."

"Where, um—" Vegeta coughed. He zipped up the opening of the tent behind him but continued to hover awkwardly a few feet away from Kakarot as he stared at his body.

"Where did you get the tent from?"

"I found some capsules in our kitchen's storage closet."

"Ah."

"It's pretty cool, huh?"

"Yes," Vegeta squeaked.

"There's a lamp," Kakarot said, motioning toward the electric lantern beside his head, "and this mat is actually really comfy and soft."

"That's all—it's all very nice."

It was brief, but Vegeta caught it: a sexy smirk flashed across Kakarot's face. He grabbed something beside the lantern, then tossed a small, blue vial through the air. Thankfully Vegeta had enough wherewithal to catch it instead of allowing it to smack him in the forehead.

"What's this?"

"Oil." Kakarot's face turned red. "I found it in the bathroom this morning before you woke up."

Vegeta's eyes scanned the Namekian type scrawled across the surface of the vial. Not that it mattered: he couldn't read a word of it. He clenched it tight in his left hand.

His nerves completely shot, Vegeta fell to his knees at Kakarot's feet with as much gracefulness as a rock sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Kakarot smiled at him, rolled onto his back again, and this time propped his right leg up to give Vegeta a better view of between his legs.

Every synapse in Vegeta's brain fried and his mind went blank. He licked his bottom lip. All shy, he grasped onto Kakarot's right knee and playfully tugged it from side to side. "Why'd you give the oil to me?"

Kakarot tittered nervously. "I was going to put it inside of myself, but then I figured you'd have more fun doing it." He paused. "It'll make thing go more smoothly."

_Sure thing, Kakarot. I'll just finger your tight little asshole like it's no big deal._

As if Kakarot had heard his thoughts, he scooted further down the mat and changed the angle of his hips, exposing the furled bundle of muscle below his balls. "Put some oil on your hand and finger me, 'Geta," he panted.

Vegeta doused his fingers in the oil. Once his hand was coated in the stuff, he stroked himself and watched Kakarot's eyes glimmer at the sight. Touching himself for so long with Kakarot boring holes through him got him a little too excited; he returned his focus to his lover's body after a soft moan rose from below him. He ran his hand down the length of Kakarot's cock until his fingertips slid across the soft skin of his balls.

Kakarot purred at the touch, then whimpered as Vegeta massaged him.

In his grasp, Kakarot was warm and quivering, and he never broke his intense gaze from Vegeta's the whole while the Prince caressed him. Wandering, curious fingers traveled back up Kakarot's shaft; he mewled and after only a few swipes of Vegeta's thumb across his head he was whispering Vegeta's name through slightly parted lips.

Vegeta growled. Kakarot had waited long enough to be pleasured, and he didn't want to keep him waiting for much longer. He slid his hand further south and eventually, his index finger pressed against nervously clenched muscle he hoped to loosen up soon.

"Relax," Vegeta said, lowering his voice an octave. "It's going to feel a bit odd at first, but it won't hurt."

Kakarot sucked in air through his teeth. "Okay."

Using the utmost care, Vegeta twisted his wrist and pressed his lubricated finger into Kakarot's ass. His rival grunted in what sounded like a mixture of desperation and discomfort. As his fingertip breached Kakarot's entrance, the man below him moaned long and low, eyes now clenched shut.

"Does it hurt?"

"No." In his periphery, Vegeta watched Kakarot's toes curl.

Entranced by Kakarot's every minute reaction, Vegeta continued to push forward. As his finger sank in to the knuckle, a delicious, rumbling purr came deep from Kakarot's chest. Using Kakarot's vulnerable moment to his advantage, Vegeta pounded his ass with his finger in several short, rapid strokes. A round, soft bump grazed his fingertip and he then knew where his next target laid. The discovery relieved him—he felt in control again. He rewarded himself and Kakarot by rubbing circles around the spot.

"Vegeta!" Kakarot grasped the pillow beneath his head; his head tipped backwards and the arch in his back deepened the longer Vegeta finger-fucked him. "That's—ahh—"

Vegeta leaned down and nipped the inside of Kakarot's raised thigh, then blew air across the fresh bite mark. "How're you?" he muttered.

Kakarot's chest shuddered. "Really good."

In one smooth motion, Vegeta slowed his thrusting while at the same time slipping another finger past the ring of Kakarot's tight asshole. Kakarot moaned again, then hissed as Vegeta gently scissored him. "Shit, Vegeta…"

Using his free hand, Vegeta slowly stroked Kakarot's cock until the tip leaked all over his clenched first. Every upward stroke of his hand and deep thrust of his fingers stole a weepy cry from Kakarot's throat, which soon culminated into a desperate moan that clawed out from deep within his chest. Kakarot lay open and vulnerable and beautiful, sweating under the light of the lantern, face screwed up in bliss.

"Vegeta—more!" Kakarot pleaded.

Vegeta slowed his thrusting and gasped. While still, he could feel how hard his heart pounded against his ribcage. He pulled his fingers out of Kakarot's tightness and leaned down to kiss him. Their tongues thrashed against each other, and Vegeta lost all of his composure. He scooted forward and pressed the tip of his cock against Kakarot's hole, then dragged it back and forth against the loosened opening.

His name fell from Kakarot's lips again. "Please, Vegeta," he begged.

"'Please, Vegeta' what?"

"Put your dick in me." Kakarot bucked his hips upward.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

At the same time he pushed his tip in he caught Kakarot in a kiss to swallow his cries. The new warmth enveloping him made him dizzy and he had to stop while only half-way inside of Kakarot's ass. He ended the kiss, needing to take a deep breath of air, and Kakarot was free to wail out in pleasure.

Gasping open-mouthed, he caught his breath. He nuzzled the crook of Kakarot's sweaty neck. "God."

The pitchy groans coming from Kakarot drove him wild. His rival sounded absolutely pathetic and helpless; the way Kakarot threw his arms around him with sudden abandon only fueled Vegeta's sense of dominance. Vegeta had to hold his breath as he withdrew himself again, making sure he didn't fall completely out. Kakarot whined, then cried out when Vegeta thrust slowly back inside only halfway again.

"Holy shit, Kakarot," he groaned through clenched teeth. He'd never been buried inside anything so warm and muscled before in his life. He rested his elbows on either side of Kakarot's head and stared into his strained face. "Open your eyes."

Kakarot shook his head no. Instead, he wrapped his legs around Vegeta's torso. "Go deeper," he grunted as his insides grasped even tighter around Vegeta.

"You need to relax," Vegeta panted, "Or I'm not going anywhere."

Kakarot cracked open both eyes. He licked his chapped lips, completely in a daze, and Vegeta could feel the grip around his cock loosen. Anticipating Kakarot would tense up again if he moved too quickly, he gently rocked his hips back and forth, easing his way through the intense heat hugging him. Vegeta had never done this before, and was pleasantly surprised when he met a resistance deep inside of Kakarot that clenched the tip of his dick.

"Oh!" Kakarot arched his back above the mat again. "Fff—Vegeta!"

"Mm. What's this I've found?" Vegeta buried himself even deeper.

"It feels— _ooh_ …" Kakarot fell into unintelligible babbling as Vegeta finally began to fuck him balls deep. While whimpering, Kakarot used his nails to dig half-moon shaped dents into Vegeta's back.

Vegeta continued to thrust, slowly increasing his pace as he watched all of the tension wash away from Kakarot's face. Both Kakarot's entrance and somewhere deep inside of his ass clutched at Vegeta as he pulled in and out, sending waves of pleasure through every inch of his taut body. Enamored with Kakarot's beautiful face, he kissed him again, this time leisurely suckling on the tip of Kakarot's tongue until the larger Saiyan growled with fervor.

Kakarot's beating heart rivaled his own; Vegeta could feel the organ thumping violently against his lover's chest. He wanted to drag the moment on forever, but with Kakarot moaning the way he was and clenching to him for dear life, Vegeta wasn't going to last for much longer.

"Aaa—ha, Vegeta!" Kakarot's fingers clambered up Vegeta's sweat-covered back until they reached his scalp to hang on for dear life. "Harder, please!"

One millisecond of doubt scrambled Vegeta's thoughts. He'd never fucked Bulma this hard before—but Kakarot's pleads made it obvious he could take more than Vegeta's wife ever could. So he obliged him.

"Fuck! _Fuck!_ Yes, Vegeta!"

The ground below them shifted. Fear shot adrenaline through Vegeta's veins; he worried he'd broken Kakarot's pelvis. But the screams below him were from pleasure and the ground below them was breaking from the force of his thrusting. Vegeta shouted and felt himself shoot deep inside of Kakarot's spasming hole. The beautiful, blossoming sensation in his stomach radiated to every muscle in his body. Come dripped between his legs out of Kakarot's ass, and below him his rival trembled as he reached his own orgasm and painted both of their stomach white.

Vegeta was overwhelmed with pleasure, or joy, or endorphins, or whatever the fuck it was that made him feel as the world around them had disintegrated and all that was left in the universe were their panting bodies. Kakarot kissed him and laughed into his mouth. Even though he'd never intended it, Vegeta had made love to the third class, and it filled him with an ecstasy only tempered by the fact he knew they were both married men.

"Vegeta, Vegeta," Kakarot chanted, "I really do love you!"

The words made Vegeta feel drunk. He reached to the side and pawed around the base of the lantern until his hand found the switch and flipped it off. They held one another; once their body heat faded away Kakarot clawed for the blanket in the corner of the tent and covered them both. Behind Vegeta, Kakarot spooned him and suckled on his earlobe until the warmth of his breath soothed the Prince to sleep. He dreamed of nothing but black.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bringingyaoiback is a saint for reading over this for me. I also apologize for the delay. I intend on updating all of my fics soon!

 

The arms clutching him were not lily soft, but instead muscled from years of training, and the thigh draped over his leg didn't have to struggle to claim purchase since it was much larger than his own; for those reasons Vegeta was filled with a fresh terror that snatched him from a dreamless night and catapulted him into a morning where he had finally forsaken his wife.

The inviting, yellow glow of the outside world fought to bleed through the tent's zipper opening. Luckily for Vegeta, the sun's light was tempered by the tent's thick canvas. Which meant their day hadn't officially started yet.

Memories from the night before rushed to the forefront of his mind: Kakarot, naked, and writhing, and laughing, and blushing—because Vegeta's fingers were inside of him. And because Vegeta had fucked him senseless. His rival had been so warm and tight and perfect, too…

And Kakarot had said he loved him. Vegeta believed him this time.

 _Kakarot loves me._ The usual resistance present whenever he thought about the idiot currently cuddling him was nowhere to be found. Kakarot loved him and he didn't mind at all.

 _But do_ I _love_ him _?_

Vegeta held his breath.

_I think so. Kakarot is an ideal partner._

Vegeta exhaled. A light snore emitted from the man behind him. How much longer did he have to pontificate on bullshit reasons to cheat on Bulma?

But it was true that Kakarot would make a good mate. Kakarot was kind but strong-willed, and generally supportive of Vegeta. They sparred well with each other. They shared the same ancestry and lust for battle. He also couldn't deny that his rival was incredibly attractive.

But those weren't legitimate reasons to fall in love with someone, were they? They certainly weren't good enough reasons to cheat on Bulma. Whatever it was that made him feel drawn to Kakarot was not rational. Sadly, logic was all he was used to—the reasons he loved Bulma made perfect sense. She was kind to him when no one else was. She was objectively attractive, smart, and loyal. It would be idiotic for him _not_ to love her.

But Kakarot was different. The man had a unique allure he couldn't quite articulate, an essence that defied sound reason. Therein lay the attraction.

 _I_ _'m going straight to Hell._ Not that banging his rival would have been the singular reason he deserved to spend eternity there. _But what a way to go._

Butterfly-light kisses pressed against the back of his neck. Vegeta froze. Kakarot's hands slid down to his torso and ghosted trails around his abs. A voice deepened by half-sleep filled his ear: "Morning, Vegeta."

Vegeta huffed.

Kakarot responded with a purr. "How're ya?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

"Yes."

Kakarot tittered. "Sooo. Are we avoiding talking about last night?"

 _Here we go._ "What is there to talk about?"

"We never did that before."

"So?"

"Aww. You feel shy talking about it?"

"Don't insult me." Vegeta grasped Kakarot's hand, which was wandering too far south for his comfort anyway. He pulled his rival's fingers to his lips and nipped on them, partly in affection and partly as a warning. "It's just sex."

Undeterred by Vegeta's reluctance to discuss the mind-blowing night before, Kakarot pulled him closer and whispered into his ear. "You think everything is the same between us? Even after that?"

Warmth spread across Vegeta's cheeks. "I don't see what's changed."

"You almost threw my back out, 'Geta!"

"Psh. I don't half-ass anything."

"You sure don't." Kakarot brushed his fingers across Vegeta's lower lip and immediately, the Prince regretted the trap he'd set for himself. The primal part of his brain urged him to suckle on the calloused finger tips, which he did without thinking.

"Hm?" Kakarot pressed deeper into Vegeta's mouth. "You hungry, 'Geta?"

 _Can_ _'t I go a minute without trying to fuck this man?_ Vegeta tried to ward away the desire swelling within him with cold logic: they needed to bathe. And spar. Literally anything else but _this._

Despite his efforts, the feeling lingered. Kakarot added another finger to his mouth and he moaned. His rival tasted of the bath oil from the night before. Like a Pavlovian dog, Vegeta salivated and felt himself harden.

"I can feed you if you want. What are you hungry for?"

Vegeta's heart raced. A heavy weight rolled on top of him, and seconds later Kakarot had him pinned on his stomach. Warmth pressed between his buttocks, and a probing tip began to spread him wider open.

A feeling as powerful as instinct made him mewl, then spread his legs wider, hungry for more of the heat threatening to tear into him. Kakarot sighed, and slid his cock up and down Vegeta's crack as to toy with him. Fingers generously lubricated with Vegeta's own spit sank into his ass until they pressed into a spot that sent him reeling.

"You love this," Kakarot muttered. The arch in Vegeta's back deepened the longer Kakarot explored and scissored his tightness.

"Ff—stop."

"Wha? Why?"

"We're not going to fuck. Not right now."

"But I was just about to stick it in!"

"I don't care!"

A pitchy whine fell from Kakarot's mouth as his fingers slipped out of Vegeta's ass. He freed Vegeta from his weight and rolled over until he sat up. "Eh, I gotta pee anyway. After breakfast we can do it!"

Vegeta mirrored Kakarot's position and sat up with his legs crossed. "Says who?"

Kakarot blinked. "Says me?"

Vegeta rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes. "No."

"No?" Kakarot echoed.

"We need to spar." Staring at Kakarot's droopy eyelids and awful bed hair made it hard for him to keep his lip curled into a sneer. He'd never been so close to another man right after waking up, or at least not while in the nude. "And after that, _maybe_ I'll _think_ about having sex again."

"Wha? But I want to do it now."

"I'm well aware."

"I feel like you're doing this just to make me mad."

Vegeta's smirk widened into a genuine smile. He just wanted a few hours to prove to himself he had a modicum of self-control. But it was cute that Kakarot believed he was withdrawing sex as punishment. "Why would I want to make you mad?"

"Dunno," Kakarot grumbled, voice still scratchy. "Did that thing I said last night make you mad?"

Vegeta gnawed on his lip. He couldn't read the look on Kakarot's face, which filled him with a mild panic. How could one man make him so anxious? "What are you talking about?"

Kakarot rubbed the bottom of his nose with his finger and sniffled. "Said I loved ya," he muttered.

"Oh." Vegeta shrugged. "No, that didn't make me mad."

Kakarot's face lit up. "Are you sure?"

 _I need to lie. I don_ _'t need Kakarot saying that to me anymore._ "Yes, I'm sure. I didn't mind."

Kakarot grinned. "I really do love you, Vegeta!"

Vegeta grimaced. Kakarot leaned forward and smiled back at him, waiting for a response. None came.

"So…?"

"So what, Kakarot?"

"Don't you have something to say?"

"No."

Kakarot tilted his head to the side. "You don't?"

"Should I?"

Vegeta couldn't stand the way Kakarot's lower lip quivered in response. Vegeta crawled past the mess of a man and unzipped the tent's opening. "Let's go."

"But I thought…" Kakarot trailed off and never finished his thought. Which was a first. Vegeta crawled out of the tent and prayed the discussion was over.

As his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, the salty ocean aroma pinched at his nose and reminded him of the eerily perfect world made for them. He crouched and slid his hand across the ground around the tent, ready to put his clothes back on so they could return home as soon as possible.

Nothing. There was nothing near the tent. His clothes were missing. Vegeta climbed to his feet and inspected the perimeter of their camp: Kakarot's clothes and bag sat nearby undisturbed.

"Kakarot, where the hell is my armor?"

Kakarot dragged himself out of the tent, a pouty look still on his face. "How should I know? You took them off before you came in the tent last night."

Vegeta planted his hands on his hips. "You must have moved them when I wasn't looking." He spun on his heel and glared up at Kakarot. "Where are they?"

Kakarot lightly shoved Vegeta to the side and made his way toward the edge of their campsite. The sound of trickling water pricked Vegeta's ears. The idiot was pissing off the side of the cliff. " I didn't touch them."

"Oh? Did someone come steal them away in the night, then?"

Still peeing, Kakarot looked over his shoulder to glare at Vegeta. "Maybe. How should I know?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. It wouldn't do him any good to spend the rest of his time in the chamber without his armor. He desperately scanned the horizon for any clue as to where his clothing went. His stomach grumbled. "Fuck."

Kakarot shook himself clean, and turned to stare at Vegeta. "Bulma didn't pack you more than one pair? That's weird."

Vegeta raised a brow. The way Kakarot had said his wife's name had a hint of annoyance to it. "I packed my own bag. And I didn't see a reason to bring more than one suit of armor."

"Alright." Kakarot walked to his duffle bag near their tent and rifled through its contents. "I can give you one of my shirts to wear while we go hunting for it."

Vegeta lifted his nose into the air. "No. Absolutely not."

"Huh?" Kakarot pulled out the top of his orange gi and held it up for Vegeta to see. "Why not?"

"I wouldn't _dream_ of ever wearing your clothes."

"What's wrong with them?" Kakarot sniffed the fabric in his hands. "It doesn't smell bad. I _think_."

"I don't want to walk around looking like you!"

"Why not? What's wrong with me?"

Vegeta scoffed. "I don't have enough time to list all of the reasons."

"Shut-up! You like me enough to have sex with me!"

As Kakarot furiously tugged his gi over his shoulders, Vegeta took a few cautionary steps away from him. _He_ _'s awfully sensitive this morning._ Vegeta knew why, but figured it wasn't worth bringing up the 'love' discussion again. "Don't take it so personally. I just don't want to look like I'm wearing a boyfriend shirt."

Kakarot wrinkled his nose. "A 'boyfriend shirt'? What's that?"

"It's where a woman wears her boyfriend's shirt that's too big for her."

Kakarot blinked. "I'm your boyfriend?"

Vegeta choked on his own spit. "No!"

"Then why would my shirt turn into a boyfriend shirt if you wore it?"

"It's—I mean—" Vegeta clenched his fists at his sides. "Just forget I even mentioned, okay? I need to find my armor _now!_ " He flew off into the air, still nude.

In a few seconds he'd flown over the rocky path that led away from their campsite and reached shore. He hadn't the faintest clue where to even look for his armor, but at least he could enjoy a few seconds away from Kakarot's presence. Sweat gathered on his brow as he relaxed his muscles and hovered still hundreds of feet above sand. _What now?_

A few miles east he sensed a familiar ki signature that almost knocked him from the sky. He squinted his eyes in the direction of the energy spike. Someone was in the forest nearby.

Kakarot caught up to him a few moments later. Vegeta sneered when he saw that his rival, too, was naked. "Why aren't you dressed?" Vegeta asked.

"I dunno. I thought it would be weird if only one of us was naked."

"So you don't think it's odd that now we're _both_ on a naked scavenger hunt?"

Kakarot slumped his shoulders. "I can't make you happy, can I?"

"Quiet. Do you sense that?"

Kakarot stilled. His eyes narrowed. "I do. But why would he come in here?"

"I'm not sure." Vegeta had half the mind to incinerate the forest miles away with ki blasts just so they didn't have to answer their question. But acting on such a whim would put him in bad favor with too many people. "Let's lower our ki and sneak up on—"

"DENDE!" Kakarot screamed. He flew east toward the forest. "DENDE, ARE YOU HERE RIGHT NOW?!"

 _FUCK!_ Vegeta trailed behind his rival. "You moron! What if it's a trap?!"

Kakarot continued to scream into the stratosphere. "DENDE, WHY ARE YOU HERE WITH US?"

The mysterious being with Dende's unmistakable ki ran away from their direction. Kakarot sped up and Vegeta followed suit; once they were above their target they plummeted from the sky and landed into the soft earth of the forest floor. A flock of birds scattered in all directions around them, blinding Vegeta from seeing the identity of the figure before him.

Kakarot stood at his side, panting. "Hey! HEY! It _is_ Dende!"

The dense thicket of feathers cleared. A few feet away lying on his back in shock was…none other than Earth's guardian.

"H-hello," the young Namekian squeaked, quivering in fright. His arms clung for dear life around a large, wooden box. Vegeta was too furious to notice more than engraved Namekian writing on the obviously sacred object.

"What's up?" Kakarot his flattened palm over his brow. It was far too bright outside. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh," Dende said. Vegeta had never heard him be so inarticulate. "Um. I…well—"

Vegeta grabbed onto the collar of his robes and dragged him up from the ground. He knew _someone_ was tampering with the time chamber, but did he really believe Dende would have much to gain from tormenting them? "Spit it out, Namekian. I already know you've been up to no good, so there's no use hiding it."

"Huh? He has?" Kakarot asked.

" _He_ _'s_ the one that's been screwing around with us in the chamber. Isn't that right?" He and Dende were so close that their noses touched. "I bet you've even been watching us."

"Is that true, Dende?" Kakarot asked. Out of the corner of his eyes, Vegeta saw him flush red. Even Kakarot wasn't as dumb as to miss the implication of Dende spying on them during their three years of "training."

"Ah, w-well," Dende stuttered, "I have been m—monitoring the time chamber for some time now—"

Vegeta's raised his arm, and Kakarot held it back so he didn't pummel Dende into green meat. "You little _pervert!_ "

"It's not like that!" Dende cried. "It's not my fault, you know!"

"What do you mean?" Kakarot pulled Dende free from Vegeta's clutches and lowered him back onto the ground. "Is the time chamber broken or something? Is that why there's a whole new world in here now?"

Dende scanned his eyes up and down Kakarot's naked body. He glanced back at Vegeta. "It's not broken, exactly."

Vegeta crossed his arms, irritated beyond belief. He hoped Dende would spare them the humiliation and not point out the obvious reason they were both naked. "Alright. Then why are you here and why was there a need to monitor the chamber?"

The guardian wheezed for a long while, still struggling to catch his breath. Kakarot side-glanced at Vegeta and shrugged his shoulders. Eventually Dende caught his bearings and could speak without stumbling over every word.

"There's something you must understand about this place first. While you know it as the time chamber, it is first and foremost an alternate dimension where time _and_ space react differently than what you are used to on Earth."

Kakarot rubbed his chin. "I always knew that. You didn't make any changes to it before we came in here that would make it act strangely?"

"No. I only altered it to make it possible for the door that connects both dimensions to stay open for three days instead of two."

"Then what's the deal with all of _this_ nonsense?" Vegeta spat, gesturing toward all of the nature around them. Immediately, a colorful bird landed and perched on Vegeta's extended arm; it sang a gay ditty much too complex for a normal animal to compose.

He groaned. _Cruel and unusual punishment for likewise behavior. If I go to Hell, I hope Kakarot comes with me._

"Yes. Well." Dende cleared his throat. "I've heard a lot of strange commotion behind the chamber door for what has been the past few hours in Earth's dimension."

Disgusted, Vegeta shook his arm until the bird flapped away deeper into the forest. He glanced at Kakarot to see his reaction, only to find the fool already blushing from guilt.

"The things I heard were stranger than usual, of course—I assumed the sound of torrential rain and snowstorms had nothing to do with whatever new attacks you may be honing."

Kakarot exhaled in relief. "Whew!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day at Kakarot's theatrics and thought back on the past few weeks. He distinctly remembered one of their worst sparring sessions involving quicksand. And how could he forget the time it poured for the few weeks he and Kakarot avoided speaking to each other. "It's certainly been more eventful in here than I hoped it would be," he admitted, taking some of the bite out of his voice for Dende's sake.

Dende nodded in acknowledgment and continued. "So you can understand how I naturally became concerned. I decided to come inside to investigate to make sure there hadn't been some sort of horrible accident. I've only been here since last night. I tried to find you two, but you were preoccupied."

"You're lying. We would have noticed your ki before now!"

Dende stared at the ground. "No, I don't think you would have."

Kakarot scratched his head. "Why not?"

"Goku was busy…yelling things." Dende blushed purple.

"Yelling what?" Kakarot asked.

The Namekian mumbled.

"Care to repeat that?" Vegeta asked.

"'Fuck me harder, Vegeta'…Things of that nature…"

Kakarot made a noise that was a cross between a screech and a sob. Vegeta's expression of pain was more insular: a horrendous pressure hammered inside of his skull. The worst migraine of his life.

He massaged his temples. "You're not going to go blathering to all of Kakarot's friends about this, are you?" _Including Bulma. For God_ _'s sake, don't let a word of this get to her._

"No! I wouldn't dream of it!" Dende helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't want to disturb you in the first place! But last night when I realized I wouldn't be able to speak with you both, I continued my research until the morning." He didn't dare raise his eyes from the forest floor.

"Get on with it," Vegeta said. "If you didn't orchestrate this little world, who did?"

"It appears the room is highly influenced by _your_ emotions."

Awkward silence. Dende winced. He clung tighter to the precious box in his arms.

Vegeta raised a brow. "Is that supposed to explain everything?"

"Yes."

"How?" Kakarot asked. It annoyed Vegeta that he and his rival were on the same level of misunderstanding.

"Simply put," Dende admitted, "when you are both in good spirits the dimension creates a very peaceful environment. Specifically in your case, a paradise. And while I haven't been here to prove this hypothesis, I imagine the environment becomes hostile when your emotions are more negatively charged. Am I correct?"

"That's stupid," Vegeta blurted. He paused. "And to answer your question, yes, it does get nasty in here whenever Kakarot pisses me right the fuck off."

Dende bowed his head even lower. "I'm sorry."

"So when we're happy, it's nice in here?" Excited, Kakarot grabbed onto Vegeta's shoulder. His touch was far too affectionate for anyone to be witness to, especially since they were still naked. Once Kakarot's hand slid down the curve of his bicep to his elbow, Vegeta hissed and wrenched his arm away.

"Don't be mad, Vegeta. All the weird forest stuff just means we're happy when we're around each other now."

"I refuse to believe it. It's too stupid to make any sense."

"Is mind over matter such a strange concept?" Dende nervously glanced at the box in his arms. "I speculate that if you become more aware of your emotions, you can rid yourself of this world. Um, that is if you want to."

"Have you even tested this hypothesis of yours? How are we sure you're not full of shit? For all we know, you could be having a fun time using us as your lab rats while you drive us crazy with these environmental shifts!"

"I want to keep it!" Kakarot said with an air of finality. He crossed his arms.

"Of course you would. You're an idiot." Vegeta tapped his foot against the ground. "What about the animals? I hate them. What are they doing here?"

"Do you _really_ hate them, Vegeta?" Dende was clearly frightened, but not a person without fortitude: he finally ventured to look the Prince in the eyes. "What have you done to try and get rid of them?"

"Do you take me as some sort of monster that kills animals?" His migraine forced him to close his eyes for a few seconds so he could refocus his thoughts on giving Dende as many counter arguments as possible.

Sound logic didn't explain what was happening to them. There had to be a rational explanation. In so many words, Dende claimed that he and Kakarot's recent "chumminess" has created the paradise that had become his own personal hell. And he wouldn't stand for it.

"Fine then. You're the expert. How do we get rid of all of this nonsense?"

Kakarot protested with a loud whine. "Noo, I wanna keep it. Please, Vegeta!"

Vegeta ignored Kakarot's giant puppy dog eyes. "Shut up." He pointed at Dende. "Namekian. Get rid of all of this shit." He swirled his finger in the air at the trees around them.

"I imagine if you meditate daily, you can have a better grasp over your emotions. Theoretically that should work."

"You can't just get rid of it on your own?"

Dende shook his head. "I can't. Honestly, for this to even happen, your will must be very powerful."

"My _will_? I'm _willing_ this place away as we speak."

"I get the impression both of you are very…hm." The tips of his ears turned violet. " _Close._ You're very close to each other and this place is a reflection of that." He sucked in air between his teeth. "It's a beautiful thing, really."

 _No. No._ Vegeta's vision clouded. _How can this be happening?_

Dended brought his fist to his mouth and coughed into it. "Vegeta. May I speak to you a second? Privately?"

 _That_ couldn't lead to anything good. At least it would give him a chance to dismantle Dende's bullshit theory away from Kakarot, who _wanted_ the damn place to stay the same.

He walked a few feet away from Kakarot along with the Guardian. Dende spoke in hushed tones, the box hugged to his chest tighter than ever.

"I brought you some items that may be helpful. When I heard you both last night, I went back to my quarters to retrieve this." He unlatched a rusty lock on the front of the box, which Vegeta now saw was no wider than a briefcase.

Dende pulled the top of the box open and revealed an arrangement of objects that made all of the blood drain from Vegeta's face. Dozens of colorful vials of lubricant filled most of the box. They encircled the more lascivious items in the center of the display: oddly-shaped toys and beads meant for adult pleasure. When Vegeta noticed a few condoms thrown into the mix, he immediately closed the box shut again.

"Why did you show this to me?" he whisper-shouted. He hated how his cheeks burned around this child!

"I noticed you and Goku had become intimate. I thought it would be appropriate to—"

"NOTHING about this is appropriate!" Vegeta clasped his hand over his mouth and looked over his shoulder at Kakarot. His rival blinked dumbly back at him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Kakarot leaned forward to sneak a peek at the mysterious box that had made Vegeta so pissed.

Vegeta ignored him and returned his attention to Dende. "Is this some sort of joke?" he asked, this time in a whisper again.

"Not at all." Dende pressed the box into Vegeta's hands. Vegeta pushed it away again. They had a short shoving match, which ended only when Dende stepped backwards and forced Vegeta to either hold the box or drop it on the ground. Irate, Vegeta acquiesced and tucked the box under his arm.

"Thank you, Vegeta!" Dende quickly bowed. "I really do think this care package will be helpful. When I equipped the room with supplies I hadn't considered you two would be having—"

"Save me the embarrassment and shut your hole." Vegeta spat a few feet away from Dende's boots. "Why did you show this to me and not Kakarot?"

Dende rocked back and forth on his feet. His hands now free, he secured them safely behind his back and assumed the air of a shy choir boy. "I thought it would be easier for you to explain the contents of the box to Goku than for me to do it."

"You just wanted to pass the dirty work off to me!" Vegeta fought back the urge to knock Dende off his feet. "Do you have any _more_ presents to hand off to me?"

"No. Do you have any other concerns?"

"This place," Vegeta said, lowering his voice so low that Dende had to lean closer to hear him, "has made me act in strange ways. Surely there is a way to stop that from happening."

"In what kind of strange ways?"

"This room has changed my feelings toward Kakarot." Vegeta left it at that.

Dende shook his head. "I really don't think that's the case, Vegeta. This room is highly influenced by the both of you. Not the other way around."

"Impossible."

"This place is simply a dimension. There's no puppet master bending your will, thank goodness."

Vegeta winced. The weight of the truth bore down on his conscious. His tongue as heavy as lead, he slowly spoke. "I have nothing else to say to you."

Dende walked toward Kakarot and bowed his head down once more. "Goku. It was nice speaking with you as well. I wish you both luck in your training. Please do take to heart my advice about meditation so you can control the environment to suit your needs."

"Um, alright. Thanks. This place can't hurt us, right?"

"I don't believe so. If anything, you should be able to use the fluctuations in the worlds created here to your advantage. But if you do have any issues, you are free to leave the chamber."

"You aren't going to come in and spy on us any more, are you?" Vegeta asked.

Dende laughed for the first time since they'd caught him earlier. "I won't! I promise!" He awkwardly waved at the both of them as he walked backwards. "I guess I'll be going now."

"Hold it." Vegeta narrowed his eyes and pinned Dende to the spot. "Do you happen to know where my armor went to?"

"N-no? You lost it? Would you like me to contact Bulma to bring you a new suit?"

"NO!" Vegeta screeched. Birds flew out of nearby trees. Kakarot even placed his not-so-platonic hand on his shoulder again in concern.

"Okay…" Dende continued to walk backwards.

"I don't want Bulma knowing anything about me in here."

"I understand. I'll make sure you two aren't disturbed again." Dende was meters away now, making their conversation all the more difficult to continue. He raised his voice. "Good luck with your training!"

"Thanks, Dende!" Kakarot waved wildly back at him.

A minute later, Dende's receding form disappeared among the greens of the forest. In that time, Kakarot had moved behind Vegeta and successfully wrapped his arms around his neck. Kakarot's warm chest against Vegeta's back soothed him.

"What did Dende give you?" Kakarot nuzzled his nose into Vegeta's hair and inhaled his scent.

"Supplies."

"Like food?"

"Something like that." Vegeta leaned backwards into Kakarot's weight. "Let's go back home."

"What about your clothes?"

"Hopefully I'll find them eventually." He paused. "I have some other clothing I brought with me."

"Like your blue spandex one?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Yes."

Kakarot squeaked. "Oh. Cool."

"Do you like that one?"

"Yeah. But I like you even more without anything on."

Vegeta knew if he didn't make a move, they'd end up tangled together on the forest floor with a captive animal audience. Kakarot's tongue lapped at the curve in his neck, and he took it as a sign to pull away. "Get your things from the campsite and meet me back in our room. We're going to spar, like I asked."

"Aww, okay." Kakarot freed Vegeta from his hug and floated up into the air. He shouted something endearing down at him, but Vegeta was already lost in his thoughts again. Kakarot's energy traveled back west to their campsite.

 _It_ _'s me._ Vegeta's knees gave out under him and he fell to the ground, box still clutched to his chest. _It was all me. Every moment and every single thing that_ _'s appeared here is because of me._

Nausea rolled through his stomach and he felt his throat constrict. He'd never been so disgusted with himself. Good thing they hadn't had breakfast yet, or else his body would have rejected it by now.

_The second we get back home, I_ _'m meditating._

He held his breath. Maybe if he concentrated long enough, he would believe it.

He wobbled back onto his feet. The box felt heavier than it did seconds before. It was then he realized that before the day was over that it would be opened again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, blessed Ash.

As soon as they returned home, they sparred. In the nude. Kakarot didn't want to waste _any_ time before fighting, which meant they couldn't even spend a few seconds to put on underwear. The dolt insisted he was "itching to fight," but Vegeta knew it was a bullshit excuse: Kakarot just wanted a peep show along with his kicks to the face.

The whole ordeal was a fleshy blur. Once night fell and Kakarot's sweat-drenched, glistening skin was too much to bear under the moonlight, Vegeta called it quits.

He volunteered to shower first. Kakarot bragged about being a professional back scrubber, but Vegeta declined the not-so-subtle proposal to bathe together.

After cleansing his body (and mind), Vegeta sorted through his clothes. All that remained of his wardrobe (besides what Kakarot gleefully called "panties") was an extra pair of boots and his blue spandex suit. The latter was supposedly Kakarot's favorite outfit. _Perfect._

He didn't want to feed into his rival's perversions again—the spar had been taxing enough—but if he only wore the boots to dinner, Kakarot would probably want to _knock_ boots.

So he put on the suit as well.

Dinner was a disappointment after having fresh fish the night before. Most of their regular food stock consisted of dehydrated meals that were as easy to prepare as they were bland. Why couldn't Dende have given them Capsule meals?

In the middle of tearing into a flavorless rack of lamb, Kakarot broke the silence between them. "Vegeta, do you want to go hunting for dinner instead?"

 _Can he read my mind now?_ "No. This is fine."

"Are you sure?" Kakarot's dark eyes narrowed. Rarely did Vegeta see him look so…irritated. Or was it frustration etched all over his face? It's not like the Prince owed him interesting conversation.

"Yes, I'm sure."

After dinner, Vegeta made a beeline for the bathroom. He stared into the mirror above the sink until the shapes and contours of his face blurred into amorphous blobs.

_What now?_

He thought on the awful box Dende gifted him earlier. Currently it was hidden beneath his bed, a place too narrow for Kakarot to shove his large ass under if curiosity got the better of him.

Vegeta brushed his teeth. It took twice as long as usual. When he finally emerged from the bathroom, Kakarot dashed in behind him.

"Gotta pee!" he squeaked.

Vegeta toed off his boots and crawled past the curtains surrounding his bed. He belly flopped onto the mattress.

_I should meditate._

Yes. That could work. Perhaps he could not only will away the world around their room, but also erase his feelings for Kakarot. The love for his rival was a plague in his body only concentrated effort could destroy. Or so he hoped.

He crossed his legs and rested his palms against his knees. His eyelids fluttered shut.

Nothing happened.

Was he supposed to recite some sort of mantra? How _was_ a person supposed to meditate, anyway? During all of those years he knew Piccolo, he hadn't picked up one goddamn hint as how to properly clear his mind?

Perhaps he could concentrate on an idea.

Or person.

Kakarot.

_No!_

Bulma.

_Yes. Better._

He thought to the first time she confessed her love to him. It was raining in West City, but he'd been in the Gravity Chamber all day. The only reason he was even aware of the weather was because Bulma's wet face had popped up on the display above the control panel in the center of the room. Her hair was drenched.

Trunks cried off screen. Bulma said something unintelligible to calm him down. Seconds later, she screeched at Vegeta. "Bring your ass out of there _now,_ monkey boy!"

At the time her voice was far too shrill for him to ignore. He'd just finished massacring a small army of robots anyway, all of them surrounding him in a series of concentric circles. "What do you want from me?"

"Trunks said his first word today and you missed it!"

Vegeta remembered rolling his eyes.

"He said, 'Daddy.'"

Vegeta snorted in amusement. "That's strange. Who did he learn _that_ from? Yamcha?"

Bulma sighed. "I don't even know why I love you."

If the point of meditation was to feel guilty, Vegeta went above and beyond in his efforts by ruminating on how much of a complete piece of shit he was. How much grief had he caused Bulma over the years? And if she'd known what he was up to in the time chamber—

"Vegeta?"

The hairs on the back of his neck rose. He'd never heard a voice so tender. Kakarot's head peeked through the curtain of his canopy bed.

"I'm busy," Vegeta muttered.

"Doing what?"

"I'm trying to meditate."

Kakarot climbed through the barrier. He wore only a loose-fitting pair of boxer shorts. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you trying to meditate?"

"So I can get rid of all of the bullshit distracting us from training."

Kakarot gasped. "You mean the forest?!" He crawled across the mattress toward Vegeta, shaking the bed frame with his weight. "That's not fair. I want to keep it!"

"It's not staying if I have any control over it."

"Then—uh, I'll meditate too!" Pouting, Kakarot crossed his legs and sat so his knees touched Vegeta's. He gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes shut.

"Stop that this instant."

"No!"

" _Yes!_ "

"Make me!"

Vegeta leapt forward and pried Kakarot's eyes open with both hands. The move took Kakarot off guard; he yelped and snatched Vegeta's wrists away from his face. His rival's grip was tight, like a vice—it felt so good to have Kakarot in control, forcing Vegeta's arms above his head and backwards, guiding him so he tipped backwards. Once pinned to the mattress by Kakarot's hands and heaving chest, Vegeta couldn't breathe anymore.

Kakarot's heartbeat was all encompassing, like a steady beating drum pressed against Vegeta's ribcage. Kakarot's mouth was at his ear, licking at his lobe, and whispering something sweet he didn't want to hear.

"Can I be your boyfriend, Vegeta?"

"What?" Kakarot's warmth and words disarmed him of all common sense. He relaxed in Kakarot's grip. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I want to keep the time chamber the way it is." Kakarot sat up so he straddled Vegeta's waist, still keeping the Prince's wrists pressed firmly against the mattress. Feather light breath grazed Vegeta's face from above as Kakarot panted in small, short huffs. "You heard me. I want to be your boyfriend."

"This is ridiculous." Gazing up at Kakarot's plump, red mouth made him salivate. Thinking too much on the softness of his rival's kiss, he licked away the dryness on his bottom lip. "Mm. Get off of me."

"Be my boyfriend?"

"No!"

Kakarot whined. "Why is it sometimes you like me, and sometimes you don't?"

Vegeta's eyes darted every which way except on the man hovering above him. His eyes were too bright, too full of love. "I just want things to be normal again."

"Why?"

"All of this nonsense is distracting us from our training!"

"There's time for both."

"But I don't _want_ to do both. I just want to spar."

Kakarot growled. "Is this because you don't want to hurt Bulma's feelings?"

"She's my wife, for god's sake—"

"And I'm your _boyfriend_!"

Vegeta stared him in the face again. " _Excuse_ me?"

"I, uh—I made the decision just now! For the both of us!"

"You can't do that!" Vegeta flexed the muscles in his arms, ready to throw his rival off the second he pushed the asinine conversation too far. Not that he _hadn_ _'t_ already done so. "You can't say you're my boyfriend unless I agree on it!"

Kakarot released Vegeta from his grip but continued to straddle him. "This isn't fair!"

"It's completely fair!" Still trapped on his back, Vegeta rubbed the soreness out of his wrists. _What_ _'s gotten into this idiot?!_

"Fine. But can I at least give a list of reasons why I would make a good boyfriend?"

"No!"

"For starters," Kakarot said, counting off one finger on his hand, "we get along really well."

"False."

"Two, I think you're really pretty."

" _What_?"

"Three, I understand everything about you."

"Also false."

"Four, we really like having sex together."

Vegeta bit his lip.

"Five, I love you. So can I be your boyfriend? Please?"

How could Vegeta deny him? Even if he said no, Kakarot would continue to be persistent. And it wasn't a one-sided affair at all: he loved Kakarot deeply enough that it tore him up on the inside.

"Vegeta," Kakarot whined. "I love you a lot. _This_ much, even!" He spread his arms as wide as possible.

Vegeta closed his eyes again. _Concentrate. Just tell him it'll never work out. It's over. Mind over matter. If I don't want to be with him, then it won't happen._

"Are you alright, Vegeta?"

_Just push him off. Tell him to go to his own bed._

Vegeta couldn't move at all.

_What is it I'm waiting for?_

"Are you sick?" Kakarot pressed the back of his palm against Vegeta's forehead.

_Am I waiting for a sign?_

"Do you hate me?"

_Shit. Just push him off the bed and—_

"You must be really mad to not say anything at all…"

_Tell him to leave. Just say it. It's only one word._

"I guess I'll leave you alone."

Vegeta opened his eyes. His heart beat a mile a minute. "Yes."

Kakarot bared his teeth like a wild animal. Vegeta smiled how cute and non-threatening he appeared. "But I just gave you five really good reasons I should be your boyfriend!"

"I know."

"Then why did you reject me?!"

"I didn't. I said yes. I want you to be my…boyfriend-thing."

Kakarot blinked. "Oh. Oh!" He frowned. "You're not playing a joke on me, are you?"

"I'm as serious as a heart attack."

Overly excited, Kakarot bounced up and down on his waist. The friction made Vegeta flush, so he clawed into Kakarot's hips to still him. Purring loudly, Kakarot took Vegeta's face in his hands and smiled down at him, eyes bright and as wondrous the Prince had ever seen them. "What changed your mind?"

"I really…do like you, Kakarot." His speech slurred due to Kakarot's palms squishing his cheeks together. He sounded perfectly idiotic, and surely looked the part too.

"Oh, Vegeta," Kakarot said, his voice lowered. "You feel so warm. You're blushing."

"I can't help it."

"You're telling the truth, right?" Kakarot looked so happy, yet desperate. His eyebrows knitted together, and goodness, it was the most beautiful thing Vegeta had witnessed. "You're not lying?"

"I'm not." Vegeta exhaled. As all the fight left him, a warmth swelled and lingered in his belly. "Is this wrong?"

"Is what wrong?"

"Us. Acting like this. And touching like this. And loving like this."

"No. It can't be."

"I don't think I've tried hard enough to stop this from happening." Vegeta raised his hands and squished Goku's cheeks between his shaking palms. "God, you are adorable."

"Hehe!" All of the mirth faded away from Kakarot's face as his voice fell to a whisper. "Wanna do it?"

Vegeta swallowed the lump in his throat. He nodded.

Kakarot shifted his hips, this time making sure the hardness between his legs dug into Vegeta's abdomen. Vegeta craned his neck to get a closer look at the tent in his rival's shorts. A dark spot stained the front. Quick as a reflex, Vegeta palmed the moist circle with his thumb and forefinger. Kakarot was hard and dripping. And _long._ Admiring the girth, he formed a loose fist around it and massaged it through the underwear fabric.

"Haa," Kakarot half-laughed. His tugged the elastic band of his boxers down so the tip of his dick slid out and brushed Vegeta's fingers. The Prince couldn't help but sigh at the sight. In his hand Kakarot was impossibly thick—perhaps more than he'd realized before. While rubbing his thumb through the pearly fluid gathering at the tip, he wondered what it'd feel like to have it inch inside of him, ideally while perched on all fours and spread open for Kakarot's taking.

All jittery, Kakarot pulled away from Vegeta's ministrations to tug his boxer shorts off. Vegeta followed in suit, tugging his spandex top and bottom off to fling to the corner of the bed. They wrestled, wet skin slipping between Vegeta's blunt fingers, and Kakarot's clipped groans spurring him on until his tongue delved in a velvety mouth. Kakarot laughed, flicking his tongue across Vegeta's gums to taste him as deeply as possible. A heady sensation forced a deep, tortured groan from the Prince's mouth. Their kiss broke.

"Vegeta." Kakarot carded his shaking hand through Vegeta's hair, his fingers combing out every matted tuft he ran across. As Kakarot's fingernails grazed Vegeta's scalp, pinpricks of pleasure radiated from the base of his neck all the way down his spine; he teetered forward and stole another kiss. Another hand kneaded his buttocks, the deep massage lulling him into a state of rapture.

Kakarot bit onto Vegeta's bottom lip and lightly tugged, the tender flesh sliding between his teeth. Once free of the kiss, he spoke again. "Can I—"

"Yes. Anything."

Kakarot shoved Vegeta onto his stomach and yanked his hips into the air. Vegeta knew it was coming, and still, when the moisture lapped between his cheeks he fell into a near shock. "Oh, God!"

He never knew Kakarot could commit such sin with just his tongue. The muscle slid up the length of his crack, then swirled around the clenched muscle of his hole, tasting every crevice with languid licks. The second Kakarot's tongue pierced him, he spread his thighs wide and mumbled a quick prayer into the bedsheets. Fingers joined the tongue and he couldn't keep his silence any longer: slave to his desire, he begged Kakarot to fuck him senseless.

"But Vegeta," Kakarot sighed into him, tongue still stretching Vegeta's hole, "you're too tight. There's no way I can fit in here."

Vegeta never knew Kakarot had a penchant for torture. His rival slipped another finger into his ass and fucked him with quick thrusts. "Oh, hell," Vegeta purred, "you could probably fit your whole fist up there with the way you're going at it."

Kakarot curled his fingers into a come-hither motion. "Don't give me any naughty ideas, 'Geta."

Vegeta's back arched deep into the pleasure. Inside of him, Kakarot massaged the spot that made his vision blur and saliva gather at the corners of his mouth. He licked his lips, but it was too late: he drooled onto the bed like a starved simpleton. Heat coiled in his abdomen for the briefest moment; he felt his ass tighten and cum coat the inside of his legs.

"Kakarot," he gasped. A ragged moan tore out of him, long and low, until his orgasm crested and fell. Dots swarmed his blurry vision as he caught his breath.

"Damn, Vegeta." Kakarot planted a light kiss against the swollen rosebud between Vegeta's cheeks. "You look amazing."

Vegeta crawled across the mattress, swaying left and right as he pieced together his thoughts through the fog of his high. He leaned over the edge of the bed, dizzy, and clawed his hand across the floor.

"Come back here," Kakarot chirped behind him.

 _Where is the damn thing?_ Vegeta felt beneath the bed. When the texture of aged wood grazed his fingertips, he grunted in satisfaction. He tugged on the edge of Dende's box until it slid into view, then propped it open. Vision still muddled, he grabbed the first bottle of lube he could find beneath all of the other nonsense.

Just as he was about to pull himself back up on the bed, something wet suctioned around the toes on his right foot. "What the—?!"

Kakarot flipped him onto his back and dragged him by the ankle across the mattress. A mischievous glint shined in his eye as he held Vegeta's foot into the air. Vegeta snorted, utterly offended by Kakarot's perversion. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I like your feet. They're cute." Kakarot lapped his tongue between Vegeta's toes, working his way to his pinky. He sucked on it slowly, culling a soft whimper from the Prince.

"Haa…I don't…" Vegeta's protests fell to a whisper. The ticklish sensation made him squirm, and he felt himself harden again. Kakarot massaged the arch of his foot while grazing his tongue beneath the Prince's smaller toes, eyes closed in reverence.

 _Kakarot is a real freak._ He admired his rival's attention to his feet for a few seconds longer. Once his patience wore thin, he dangled the bottle of lube in the air. "Kakarot," he groaned, voice thick with need, " _now_."

Kakarot gazed down at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "Where'd you get that?"

"I'll tell you later."

Kakarot lowed his foot back down on the bed. He scaled his hand up Vegeta's thighs until his fingers brushed through the stickiness there. "I need to get you on edge again, 'Geta."

"Oh?" Vegeta smirked. "What are you going to do?"

Slowly, Kakarot's lips parted. "You like sucking dick, right?"

Vegeta's breath hitched in his throat. Before he could respond, Kakarot was hovering above his chest, positioning his cock so the tip teased the corners of Vegeta's mouth. The quickening of his pulse and the heat gathering between his legs felt second nature at this point. The opportunity to taste his rival always drove him mad.

Still on his back, he leaned his head forward and took half of the girth in his mouth. Salt stung the back of his throat. He whimpered and grabbed onto the flesh with one hand to stroke it in time with the bob of his head. Short, breathy moans fell from Kakarot's lips, dragging Vegeta closer to the edge. Once Kakarot began to thrust deeper into his mouth, Vegeta's eyes rolled to the back of his head in bliss. He sucked hard on his rival's cock, milking small spurts of precum that filled his mouth and throat.

"Vege—ah, shit." Kakarot slipped out of Vegeta's mouth. The Saiyan prince whined in protest from having the most wonderful thing to grace his tongue ripped from him. He stared up at Kakarot's face to find answers, only to be met with a dark stare. Kakarot popped open the lube bottle and squirted a few lines of moisture onto his hands. In quick jerks he coated himself with it.

 _Fuck, he looks hot touching himself._ Vegeta imagined Kakarot priming himself to cum all over his face, which he would've greedily opened his mouth wide to catch. Instead, Kakarot climbed off of him and forced him onto all fours again.

"Don't tease me again!" The thought of Kakarot filling him nearly made him sob. "I _need_ it. Please, Kakarot, I'm going to—"

"To what, 'Geta?" The timbre in Kakarot's voice dropped low enough to send a shiver down Vegeta's spine. "Are you gonna die? Do you need it that bad?"

" _Yes!_ "

The smooth, torturous slide of Kakarot's cock into his ass took his breath away. His whole body yielded to the sensation: convulsions almost made his arms give out under him and his mouth went dry. Kakarot pounded into his body in slow, but forceful strokes that caressed his insides in a way all of their earlier fingering had only hinted at. Vegeta drooled all over the bedsheets crumpled between his fingers, panting loudly and begging for Kakarot to fuck him even harder.

"God, Vegeta!" Kakarot dug his fingernails into Vegeta's hips, pushing and pulling him inverse to his thrusts.

Hearing the steady rhythm of their skin smacking together mingled with Kakarot's strangled moans tipped Vegeta over the edge. Crying out, he gripped himself and stroked until hot liquid gushed between his clenched fingers. As every nerve ending in his body lit aflame, he clenched around the impossibly hot thickness spreading him apart. Kakarot howled and plowed into him in several quick jolts, filling him with warmth that seconds later dribbled down both their thighs. He collapsed onto Vegeta's back, who crumpled beneath his weight into the soft sheets.

Kakarot turned Vegeta's head to the side and kissed him, over and over again, until they both were short of breath.

"I love you, Vegeta," Kakarot sighed between deep gulps of air.

Vegeta took his hand and kissed every knuckle.

Minutes passed by. A dull ache throbbed between Vegeta's legs. He wouldn't be able to walk straight tomorrow morning. Kakarot was still inside of him, which filled him with mild comfort.

"Mm, Vegeta. Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

He almost said no. When they slept together out in the middle of nowhere, it was different. _Right?_

He was too tired to fight it. "Yes, Kakarot."

Kakarot purred into the back of Vegeta's damp hair. "You always feel so good."

Sleep tugged at the edges of Vegeta's consciousness, making him useless for much pillow talk. "You don't say."

"You always sound so happy when we do it," Kakarot whispered.

"I would hope so."

"I want to make you happy all of the time."

Vegeta thought hard on his reply. "I want that too, Kakarot."

Kakarot traced lines across his sweaty shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"

Vegeta's chest tightened. "Sure."

"What's in the box?"

Vegeta snorted. "Nothing."

"You got some lube out of there."

"Like I said, there's nothing in there. Except for a bunch of perverted toys."

Kakarot tittered. "Oh?"

The hint of curiosity in Kakarot's voice worried him. "Pay it no mind."

"If you say so."

Vegeta closed his eyes and fell asleep to the sound of Kakarot humming in his ear. So much for meditation.


End file.
